ISLAMABAD, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan continues to face a growth in the number of dengue fever cases as two more deaths were reported from the disease in the South Asian country.
Both deaths were reported from the country's eastern Punjab province, the provincial health authorities said on Sunday.
Punjab reported 298 new cases in the last 24 hours. Its capital Lahore reported 143 new cases, followed by Rawalpindi city with 52 cases. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab this year has now gone up to 12,974.
In northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 347 more people were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease, the provincial health department said on Sunday evening. The number of active cases in the province currently stands at 1,453 while the total number of cases this year has reached 16,624.
In the last 24 hours, the southern Sindh province reported 205 new infections, the provincial health department said on Sunday evening. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 136 new cases. With the newly-reported dengue cases, the October figure to date for the province has risen to 7,173, bringing the total local tally to 17,327 this year.
The national capital Islamabad reported 26 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, the health authorities said on Sunday night. The city's total tally has risen to 4,372 this year. ■
