ISLAMABAD, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The dengue fever cases in Pakistan continue to increase as a significant number of patients were reported in parts of the country during the last 24 hours, health authorities said on Monday.
One person died and a total of 276 patients were diagnosed with the disease in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the last 24 hours, the provincial health department reported on Monday night. The number of active cases in KP is 1,610 and the total number of cases this year has reached 4,980.
Moreover, 152 new cases of dengue were reported in eastern Punjab province in the last 24 hours, the provincial health department said on Monday. Punjab's Rawalpindi city reported 71 patients while 47 people were diagnosed in its capital Lahore.
The total number of patients in Punjab throughout the year has moved up to 3,437.
The Pakistani government has launched an anti-dengue campaign including raising public awareness in response to the alarmingly high level of cases in the country, and has taken special measures at the dengue hotspots in order to curb the spread of the disease. ■