At least 169 new cases of dengue fever have been reported in Punjab, according to an Aaj News report on Monday.

The situation in Punjab is critical and alarming as the number of dengue cases in the province crossed 2,000 mark last week since the beginning of the year due to fast transmission of the vector, according to a Dawn report.

A comparison of dengue cases in the province from January 1 till date with the corresponding period last year revealed that 100 cases of the fever were reported in 2020.

According to the report, three to five cases of dengue fever were reported in September 2020 in Punjab, compared to the period this year which has witnessed a reporting of 150 cases on daily basis.

The report says this is because the province lacked surveillance activities and commitment to launch vigorous anti-dengue campaign across Punjab.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid noted the dengue fever claimed four lives in the province since January 2021, saying an increase in dengue cases was being witnessed in the wake of changing weather over the past six weeks, reported APP.

The provincial minister highlighted hospitals were catering to dengue and Covid patients simultaneously, saying beds had been increased in High Dependency Units (HDU) of Punjab.

With 78 new cases of the fever, the tally of dengue cases in the federal capital has reached to 1,229 mark.

District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia said at least 100 house indoor residual spray and 324 fogging activities were conducted to prevent the spread of dengue and eliminate the potential breeding sites of larva during the last 24 hours, according to a Dawn report.