LAHORE, Sept 11: Punjab had the lowest number of reported dengue cases this season despite a heavier monsoon in the province, a Punjab cabinet committee meeting presided over by the health minister was told on Wednesday.

The minister, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, said though September was more conducive to dengue breeding than earlier months, the breeding of the mosquito that caused the disease remained low this season.

The cabinet committee meeting was held to review the dengue situation and steps taken by various government departments and institutions to check the spread of the ailment.

Health Secretary Hasan Iqbal told the meeting though this season 748mm rain was recorded as compared to 209mm last monsoon, the number of dengue cases remained lower than that of previous year.

He said so far 1,090 confirmed dengue cases were reported in Sindh with 11 deaths, 2,500 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in Swat district, where more than 250 patients were admitted while 7 died of the disease.

However, the secretary said, so far only 104 confirmed dengue cases had been reported in Punjab and 14 patients were under treatment in different hospitals of the province.

He said the Punjab health department was in contact with the KP government and offering technical support to the province for dengue control.

Moreover, he said, 20 bottles of Dextron-40 had also been dispatched to Swat. He said vector surveillance and larvaeciding was continuing at union council level in the province.

The environment secretary told the meeting that 124 notices had been served on the owners of the properties where dengue larva was found whereas 205 FIRs had also been registered for ignoring government directions in this regard.

He said dengue larva was mostly being reported indoors in Wagah Town.

‘NO CASE’ at LGH: Post Graduate Medical Institute head Prof Anjum Habib Vohra has said no dengue case was reported at the Lahore General Hospital so far that indicated that the government and public efforts to control the disease proved effective.

The LGH is one of the major health facilities that catered medical needs of a large number of patients coming from southern part of the city. It had received dozens of dengue patients in September 2011.

“Not a single dengue patient was received at the LGH since January which showed that the efforts of the government and the public to control the disease bore fruit”, LGH chief executive told a meeting called on Wednesday to review treatment arrangements for the dengue patients.

He, however, alerted the officials, doctors and nurses to ensure their presence at the dengue counters set up various hospitals of the city.