Patiala, Nov. 17 -- Punjab has recorded more than 4,000 dengue cases this season amid allegations of underreporting and suspected fatalities. Though the state health department has refused to share official data, information accessed by HT indicates that Punjab has logged approximately 4,225 cases so far. Last year, the state had reported 6,260 dengue infections, placing this year's tally already close to the midway mark of the previous season. Among the 23 districts, Patiala - the home district of the state health minister - remains the worst affected, with 652 confirmed cases. Ludhiana follows with 492 cases. Senior health department officials have reportedly pulled up Patiala's health authorities over the surge and sought an explanation. Patiala officials, however, attributed the high numbers to stronger surveillance and wider testing. "We have more testing labs and have already tested around 7,600 samples. That is why case detection is higher. Compared with other districts, our positivity rate is similar or lower," a senior health official said. Testing remains low in several other districts, including those hit hard by recent floods. Tarn Taran has tested only 1,908 samples, while Gurdaspur, which has reported 150 cases, has tested about 3,700. The state health department is allegedly withholding statewide dengue data. The state nodal officer has directed that overall figures will be released only with the health minister's approval. Although multiple districts have reported suspected dengue-related deaths, the department maintains that no official fatality has been recorded this season. "Several suspected dengue deaths have already occurred in various districts. However, district officials have been instructed to send death audit reports to the state health department and not reveal this information publicly," said a district epidemiologist. Despite these concerns, officials say new case numbers have started to dip due to falling temperatures....