In major outbreak, Peshawar reports 213 dengue cases in a day

• Peshawar reports 213 dengue cases in last 24 hours.
• KP health dept confirms 440 dengue virus cases detected in a week.
• Punjab records 17 dengue fever cases in last 24 hours. Ten of them are from Lahore.

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In a major dengue outbreak, Peshawar reported 213 new cases of the fever in the last 24 hours, Geo News reported Wednesday.

A recent spike in the number of dengue virus infections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab has started ringing alarm bells among health professionals.

According to the KP health department, 440 dengue virus cases have been detected in a week across the province and 6,549 people have been tested for dengue.

On the other hand, dengue was confirmed in 17 patients in Punjab in the last 24 hours. Ten of them are from Lahore.

Dubbed "breakbone fever", dengue is one of the world's leading mosquito-borne illnesses and infects tens of millions across the globe annually.

Health officials said that they are facing difficulties in controlling dengue mainly due to the abundance of mosquitoes and the presence of stagnant water in various areas across the province, that serves as a breeding ground for the insects.

On Monday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan also spoke about a possible dengue outbreak in Islamabad. He said that people shouldn’t let rainwater be collected at any spot as it serves as a breeding ground for mosquitos. 

Health secretary issues warning

Earlier, on August 8, Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Sarah Aslam had issued a notification, directing the department to intensify dengue prevention across Punjab as two cases were detected in the provincial capital.

Per the notification, two confirmed cases of dengue were then reported in Lahore.