Islamabad, Oct 28 (IANS): Pakistan plans to import dengue drug Dextran-40 from India to tackle the menace of the vector-borne disease in the country, the official media reported.
The Punjab government needs at least 5,000 bottles of Dextran-40. The province has been severely hit by the disease, particularly in Lahore, the provincial capital, where scores of people have died in the past few weeks.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has already given the go-ahead to the health department for the import.
"The prime minister has allowed to import the drug from India in view of the urgent requirement for Dextran-40 in government hospitals in Punjab," the official APP news agency reported citing an official announcement Thursday.
The dengue infection is caused by dengue virus, which is transmitted into humans by the A. aegypti mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and skin rash.