16 dengue deaths, 9559 cases in Punjab this year, says health minister

Punjab has reported 16 dengue deaths and 9,559 cases so far this year, Health Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra said on Wednesday.

Jouramajra, who is currently campaigning in Gujarat for the Aam Aadmi Party, took stock of the situation on vector-borne diseases in a meeting with health officials by videoconference.

There have been 9,559 cases of dengue and the state has 1,206 active patients, out of which 193 patients are admitted in hospitals, according to an official statement.

Sixteen persons died due to dengue so far in comparison to 55 fatalities last year, it said.

The patients who are at their homes are being monitored on a daily basis by the rapid response teams of the health department, Jouramajra said.

The minister directed the health officials to coordinate with the local government and rural development departments to step up fogging activities.

He stressed on the need to create awareness regarding prevention of dengue and urged people to follow the health department's guidelines to contain the spread.

Meanwhile, Jouramajra said the AAP government provided free treatment worth Rs 13.54 crore to the cancer patients during the past seven months.

Jouramajra said 1,265 cancer patients had been provided free treatment during the period under the 'Mukh Mantri Cancer Rahat Kosh' in the hospitals empanelled with the state government.