Alarming increase in dengue cases across Pakistan
Last updated on: 05 October,2019 11:53 am
Dengue is a major public health concern as it can develop into a potentially fatal form.
KARACHI (Dunya News) - The number of dengue cases across Pakistan has increased at an alarming rate with over 14,000 cases recorded this year so far.
Another patient died in Karachi today, increasing the death toll to 13. Reportedly, 173 dengue patient have been confirmed in the city during last 24 hours, whereas, overall number of affected persons has reached 3,624.
In other districts of Sindh province, 217 dengue cases have surfaced this year.
SITUATION IN KHYBER PAKHUNTKHWA
Dengue has been confirmed in around 110 patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the number of overall affected persons to 4,117. In the provincial capital Peshawar alone, over 2,000 patients were diagnosed with dengue.
DENGUE CASES IN PUNJAB
Dengue virus has been confirmed in 150 patients in Rawalpindi during last 24 hours. Overall, 6,488 persons have been affected in the city, out of which, 30 have lost their lives.
In Lahore, number of affected patients increased to 172 after confirmation of another 14 cases. Over 120 patients are being treated in Multan and 104 patients have been diagnosed with dengue in Faisalabad.
WHAT IS DENGUE?
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in all regions in recent years. Dengue virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti. This mosquito also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika infection. Dengue is widespread throughout the tropics, with local variations in risk influenced by rainfall, temperature and unplanned rapid urbanization.
Severe dengue was first recognized in the 1950s during dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand. Today, severe dengue affects most Asian and Latin American countries and has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children and adults in these regions.
Dengue is caused by a virus of the Flaviviridae family and there are 4 distinct, but closely related, serotypes of the virus that cause dengue (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4).