ISLAMABAD, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of dengue fever cases has continued to rise in Pakistan amid an outbreak due to floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains.
In the last 24 hours, 340 more people were diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the provincial health department reported on Thursday night. The number of active cases in the province currently stands at 1,544 and the total number of cases so far this year has reached 17,883.
The southern Sindh province reported 219 new infections, said the provincial health department on Thursday evening. The worst-hit area was Karachi, the provincial capital, which reported 140 new cases. With the new cases, the October figure to date for the province has risen to 8,036, bringing the local total to 18,190 this year.
The eastern Punjab province reported 202 new cases in the last 24 hours, the provincial health authorities said on Thursday. Punjab's capital Lahore reported 74 new cases, followed by Gujranwala city with 47 cases. The total number of dengue cases in Punjab so far this year has gone up to 13,935.
The national capital Islamabad reported 88 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, the health authorities said on Thursday night. The city's total tally has risen to 4,640 so far this year. ■
