An editorial in the News International said Monday: "The annual dengue outbreak has struck with an especially vicious sting this year, creating mass panic - most notably in Punjab where the number of reported cases already stands at over 2,050."
"The degree of alarm has led to morning assembly being cancelled in schools. Punjab is not the only affected province; in Sindh, a total of 190 cases of dengue-related hospitalisation have been reported and there have been three deaths in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa," it said.
The editorial said that though dengue has become an annual epidemic, it has struck especially hard this year.
Saying that there is mass public panic over dengue, the editorial stated: "Knowing that dengue is an annual curse, preventive actions should have begun much sooner."
"We must seek ways to treat and curb this illness which has taken a heavy toll on our already strained healthcare system," it added.
Published 12 September 2011, 04:44 IST