Pak: Dengue fear closes all schools in Lahore
Lahore: Pakistani authorities on Tuesday ordered
the closure of all educational institutions in this eastern
city as they grappled with an outbreak of the dengue virus
that has already claimed the lives of 20 people.
The order for closing state-run and private schools and
colleges for 12 days was issued by the Punjab government after
it failed to control the spread of the disease in Lahore, a
city of 10 million people.
Educational institutions were also directed to spray
insecticide in their buildings while they are closed.
The institutions were closed as a precautionary measure
and to prevent the exposure of children to the dengue virus,
an official statement said.
Since the disease hit Lahore and other parts of Punjab
this summer, it has claimed the lives of around 20 people,
including a secretary of the provincial government.
Over a dozen Chinese engineers have tested positive for
dengue so far.
The Chinese nationals, who were working on a project at
the Information Technology Tower on Ferozepur Road, were taken
to Jinnah Hospital.
Some of them were kept in the intensive care unit because
of low platelet counts.
The total number of dengue patients has shot up to 8,000
in Lahore and 4,000 in other parts of Punjab, officials said.
The government of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sought
help from the federal government and India and Sri Lanka to
combat the dengue outbreak.
The Punjab government has announced an emergency in
hospitals and appealed to private healthcare facilities and
military hospitals to help it in dealing with the outbreak.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 23:44