Pakistan on Friday witnessed an alarming increase in dengue cases as hospitals in the big cities filled up with patients.
In the last 24 hours, 188 people were diagnosed with the dengue virus in Lahore, taking the total number of cases to 2,586. more than 40 in Rawalpindi, 62 in Sindh, and 117 in Islamabad.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four people have succumbed to the dengue virus this year. The province has recorded a total of 2,152 cases this year.
According to the Islamabad district health officer (DHO), presently, there are 932 patients of dengue in the federal capital while five people have lost their lives to the contagious disease so far.
Out of 117 fresh cases, 80 were reported from the rural areas of the federal capital, bringing the total number of people infected with the virus in these areas to 625, while 37 cases were detected in urban areas during the period under review, bringing the total number of patients in the city to 307.
Meanwhile, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) went ahead with its anti-dengue drive as special teams constituted by the Health Services Directorate sprayed anti-mosquito pesticides.
These teams are particularly active in the congested areas of Islamabad city, where people are more prone to get infected, and in the rural areas.
According to the CDA administration, these teams are working under a strategy to eliminate the larvae so that the virus could be stopped from spreading.
Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department had warned of a dengue outbreak post monsoon rains.
