Three people died of the dengue virus in Punjab, the provincial health department confirmed Tuesday. The dengue virus deaths were reported from Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Vehari, the Punjab health department said. One of the deceased, a 21-year-old woman from Gujranwala, was a resident of Europe. The number of dengue patients in Punjab has now risen to 49, the health department said, adding that the highest number of dengue patients in the province has been reported from Bahawalpur. There are 17 dengue patients in Bahawalpur, nine in Lahore and six in Kasur. Last week, the Punjab health department recorded 44 dengue cases, prompting the authorities to start taking emergency measures. In a bid to control the disease, the health department had directed authorities to make intensive-care units in hospitals operational and hire 10,929 health workers on a contractual basis.