Health Department sources say the contagious illness is neither malaria nor typhoid, while the city simultaneously contends with more than 3,000 dengue hotspots.
LAHORE: More than 100 people in Lahore have fallen ill with a contagious, flu-like infection marked by high fever and body aches since September 1, according to Health Department sources, who described the illness as “COVID-like.” The sources say it is neither malaria nor typhoid and spreads from person to person, but no formal name, diagnosis or laboratory findings have been made public. The cases come as the city’s dengue season shows no sign of easing.
Government hospitals in Lahore have been receiving patients with the same cluster of complaints since the start of the month: flu, body aches and a high fever. Health Department sources told The Lahore Times that five to seven such patients have been reported daily in government hospitals since September 1, and that the cumulative total has now crossed 100. The sources said the illness is transmissible between people and appears to be affecting adults more than children.
The two figures do not sit easily together. Five to seven patients a day over eighteen days would come to well under 200. The reports available do not say whether the daily count refers to individual hospitals or to the city as a whole, and the sources did not clarify the point.
Residents who spoke to The Lahore Times told a strikingly similar course of illness. Ilyas, a 50-year-old Lahore resident who has high blood pressure and diabetes, said he was struck suddenly by an extremely high fever that lasted three days. A flu and cough followed and continued for more than eight days. He said he began medication only after consulting his doctor.
A father of two young girls, aged four and three, said both children developed sudden fevers recorded at 103 and 104 degrees that lasted three days. Their paediatrician, he said, declined to prescribe antibiotics at this stage, advising instead that the girls be given Panadol syrup and kept in a cool place to bring the temperature down.
In one of the city’s upscale neighbourhoods, 52-year-old Yasmin said every member of her family had fallen ill with the same sequence of fever, then cough and flu. Those who were infected first, she said, began improving after about four days, though none had fully recovered.
Dr Asif Hayat, an ENT specialist who runs a clinic on Zarar Shaheed Road, said his clinic has been receiving several patients presenting with the same pattern of extreme high fever, body pain and cough. He added that the number of dengue patients visiting the clinic has also been rising, a reminder that fever in Lahore at this time of year can have more than one cause.
Earlier this month, Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir directed health officials to gather data from private hospitals and general practitioners, since many fever patients visit private clinics first and do not appear in government tallies. Accounts such as Dr Hayat’s suggest that official hospital figures may capture only part of the picture.
Officials have not said whether the illness is influenza, COVID-19 or something else. Public health guidance published by Lahore General Hospital describes seasonal influenza as an acute viral infection that spreads easily between people and begins with a sudden fever, a usually dry cough, headache, muscle and joint pain and a runny nose. The cough can be severe and last two weeks or longer, although most people recover from the fever within a week. The guidance notes that in tropical regions flu epidemics can occur at any time of year, that vaccination is the most effective prevention and that antiviral drugs are available. It also says severe illness falls mainly on high-risk groups.
The overlap in symptoms is notable, but it is not a diagnosis. Until laboratory results are released, the cause of the current cases remains unconfirmed. Anyone with a persistent high fever, particularly older people, young children and those with chronic conditions, is advised to consult a doctor rather than self-medicate.
The fever cases are unfolding in the middle of the dengue season. According to an official press release, more than 3,000 dengue hotspots have been identified in the city, with the heaviest concentrations in Samanabad Town, Data Ganj Bakhsh Town, Ravi Town and Bagha Town. The number of confirmed dengue patients has reached 15, with more than 200 confirmed cases across Punjab. Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said full attention is being focused on the hotspots and urged citizens to follow dengue-related SOPs. His department has already ordered dengue larvae surveys inside government offices, and the rain forecast earlier this week has added to fears of fresh breeding sites in standing water after the monsoon.
Separately, WASA Lahore has installed 69 new fire hydrants across 35 government hospitals at sites identified by the Rescue service, and has restored 20 existing ones. The hospitals covered include Services Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Children’s Hospital and the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences, among other major medical centres.
The Chief Executive Officer of LWMC visited Bank Stop, Gajju Matta, Youhanabad and Nishtar Colony in Nishtar Town, reviewing sanitation arrangements, worker attendance and the cleanliness operation. Instructions were issued to ensure 100 percent door-to-door waste collection in every Union Council.
Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Muhammad Saif Anwar Jappa, said that in line with the Chief Minister’s directives, the authority remains on high alert for floods, COVID-19, dengue, drought, smog and heatwaves. He said the provincial control room maintains round-the-clock contact with all districts and regularly issues early warnings and alerts to the administration, adding that mitigating the effects of climate change is among the authority’s top priorities.
Key questions remain unanswered. No official name has been given to the illness, no laboratory test results have been released, and there is no definitive diagnosis. Nor is it clear whether the 1,000-plus figure includes patients treated at private clinics. Until the Health Department publishes confirmed findings, residents are being advised to wear masks, maintain social distance and seek medical advice for high or prolonged fever.
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