Dengue claims another life in Multan

MULTAN: Dengue virus claimed another life in Multan on Thursday, raising the death toll from the mosquito-borne disease in the district to two this year, hospital sources said.

According to sources, a woman hailing from Shehar Sultan area of Muzaffarghar was diagnosed with dengue fever and was being treated at the Nishtar Hospital where she died on Thursday.

Meanwhile, dengue virus has been confirmed in seven more patients during last 24 hours in Multan, said the officials of health department.

The number of reported dengue cases in Multan has now risen to 397, while 217 cases have been confirmed.

The health department says that dengue mosquito larvae have been found from 68 areas of Multan city.

Dengue is the world's fastest-spreading tropical disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Pakistan suffered its one of its worst dengue outbreaks in 2011, when over 300 people died of the mosquito-borne disease.

Thousands of people in Asia have been struck by dengue fever in recent months, putting medical services under strain and highlighting the need for a long-term strategy to fight the potentially lethal disease.

The Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam are among countries that have seen significant spikes in the mosquito-borne disease, while India's capital New Delhi is in the grip of its worst dengue outbreak in almost 20 years.

Dengue affected only a handful of countries in the 1950s but is now present in more than 125 – more than malaria, historically the most notorious mosquito-borne disease.