Pakistan: Dengue continues to surge as Rawalpindi reports 16 new cases

Sep 03, 2023

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], September 3 : The Dengue onslaught continued across Pakistan, as 16 new cases of the disease were recorded from Rawalpindi in the last 24 hours, ARY News reported on Sunday citing the provincial health ministry.
According to data provided by the Punjab Health Ministry, 16 new dengue cases were reported in multiple hospitals.
The total number of dengue cases has reached 261 as the majority of the patients are under treatment in Benazir Bhutto Hospital, DHQ, and the Holy Family Hospital.
Notably, the dengue epidemic gripped multiple regions of Pakistan after devastating floods wreaked havoc in the majority of the country, ARY News reported.
Meanwhile, 69 cases have been registered and eight buildings have been sealed over violating standard operating procedures (SOPs) set to curb the dengue virus.
Overall 2225 cases have been registered and 466 buildings have been sealed over dengue SOPs violations, according to ARY News.
Dengue virus is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in recent years around the world. Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and, to a lesser extent, Ae. Albopictus, ARY News reported.
Earlier on Friday, at least 11 dengue fever cases were registered in Karachi in the previous 24 hours, ARY News reported citing Sindh health department data.
According to the provincial health department report, the majority of cases in Karachi have been recorded in District East, where a total of six individuals have been infected by the virus in the last 24 hours.
Previously, a total of 67 dengue cases were reported across Punjab in a single day, indicating an alarming increase in the mosquito-borne disease during the monsoon season. The Punjab health secretary stated that 67 dengue fever cases had been detected in the province in the previous 24 hours.
According to Ali Jan Khan, the provincial health secretary, 1,042 cases were documented in 36 districts this year. He explained that 369 instances had been recorded in Lahore, while 28 additional cases had arisen in the province capital the day before, reported ARY News.