Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday permitted authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province to import 5,000 bottles of an infusion from India to counter a dengue outbreak that has claimed scores of lives.
"In view of the urgent requirement for Infusion Dextran-40 in government hospitals of Punjab for the treatment of dengue virus, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has allowed the government of Punjab's Health Department to import 5,000 bottles of the drug from India," said an official statement.
The Punjab government has been trying to counter the dengue outbreak that has already claimed over 200 lives. Senior government officials are among those who have died of dengue in recent weeks.