Pakistan reports surge in dengue fever cases amid outbreak fears

ISLAMABAD: A surge in the number of dengue fever cases has been reported in parts of Pakistan over the past 24 hours amid fears that the country might face an outbreak of the disease in the coming days.

A total of 90 new cases of dengue fever have been reported across Punjab over the past 24 hours, said the provincial health department on Sunday, adding that most of the cases were recorded in Lahore.

The total tally of dengue fever cases this year has surged to 1,082 in the province, said the health department.

Similarly, more than 800 dengue fever cases were detected in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) during the last month as the province added several new cases over the last 24 hours, said the K-P health department.

Keeping in view of the alarming spike in dengue fever cases, the province’s health department in collaboration with the district administrations has begun fumigation and an awareness campaign in the province.

Meanwhile, 32 more people were infected with the dengue virus in the federal capital during the past 24 hours, pushing the tally of the cases in Islamabad to 177 this year, Islamabad District Health Officer Zaeem Zia told local media.

According to government officials, despite various challenges posed by Covid-19, the Pakistani government has been making all-out efforts and taking adequate measures to stem the further spread of the dengue virus.