ISLAMABAD: Over 40 new cases of dengue virus emerged in the twin cities on Tuesday.

In Islamabad, the number of cases was 18, which took the tally for the current year in the capital to 528.

Focal Person for Dengue cases in Islamabad Dr Mazhar, while talking to Dawn, said out of 18 cases, 10 were found in the rural areas and eight in the urban areas.

When asked about the overall cases from the rural and urban areas, he said during the current season, 403 cases have been reported from the rural areas and 125 from urban areas.

In Islamabad dengue season usually starts in March and ends in November. Pakistan has experienced many outbreaks of dengue since 1994, with major outbreaks reported in 2005, 2011 and 2019. Around 6,000 cases of dengue with 52 deaths were reported from Karachi in 2005; over 21,000 cases with 350 deaths were reported from Lahore in 2011 and around 50,000 cases with 79 deaths were reported in 2019 from across the country.

In Rawalpindi, meanwhile, 23 patients went down with the mosquito-borne disease on Tuesday. With the emergence of the new cases, the tally of cases in the garrison city has risen to 358.

A large number of dengue patients reported to Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital. As many as 64 patients are still admitted to the hospitals.

The patients arrived from Naseerabad, Dhamial, Dhoke Babu Irfan, Satellite Town, Chah Sultan, Dhoke Farman Ali, Kalma Chowk, Adiala, Sangh, Shakrial, Dhoke Munshi, Morgah, Dhama Syedan, Lakkhan and adjoining areas.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2025