Geo436 
KARACHI: Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, is on the rise and claiming more lives.
Karachi: Two more dengue patient died today taking the toll to 15 in 2010 only, while 86 more admitted to the hospitals in the last 24 hours.
Lahore: At least 130 patients have been confirmed to be infected with the virus in last 24 hours, and one each in Okara and Sialkot. The number of patients in Punjab has reached to 735 from which 627 were from Lahore.
In Matiari, a minor, 5 year old Nimra died today. Dengue cases have also been reported from Hyderabad, Shahdadpur, Mir Pur Khas and Sukkur.
WHO regional figures show there were 212,988 dengue cases with 674 deaths in 2008, increasing to 242,424 cases and 785 deaths last year. There have been 204,759 cases with 831 deaths so far this year.
A WHO communicable diseases expert, said that dengue had traditionally been an urban problem, but was now now affecting rural areas.
“This is because of the increase in population density, movement of people and their habits which create breeding sites,” he said, adding that people with no public services had to collect water in buckets and tanks.
Standing water attracts dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
“At present, 40 percent of the world”s population is at risk of dengue,” he said. “It”s not only being detected more, it”s also increasing.”
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