Dengue cases continue to surge in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The number of dengue fever cases is continuing to rise in Pakistan amid an outbreak blamed largely on floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the South Asian country.

In the last 24 hours 419 new infections were reported across the southern Sindh province, said the provincial health department on Sunday night. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 343 new cases.

With the newly reported dengue cases, the September figure to date for the province has risen to 5,382, bringing the local total tally to 7,951 this year.

The eastern Punjab province reported 385 new cases in the last 24 hours, the provincial health authorities said on Sunday morning. Punjab's capital Lahore reported 186 new cases, followed by the Rawalpindi city with 100 cases. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab this year has now gone up to 4,921.

In the last 24 hours 213 more people were diagnosed with the disease in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the provincial health department reported on Sunday night. The number of active cases in the province stands currently at 1,189 and the total number of cases this year has reached 6,625.

The national capital Islamabad reported 68 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, the health authorities said on Sunday night. The city's total tally has risen to 1,991 this year.

The Pakistani government has launched an anti-dengue campaign including raising public awareness in response to the alarmingly high number of cases in the country, and has taken special measures at the dengue hotspots in order to curb the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

Dengue mosquitos breed in stagnant water like water-filled containers.

In severe cases, dengue can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure.