Pakistani capital Islamabad and the garrison city Rawalpindi have seen some 14 people infected by dengue fever disease, authorities said Monday.

 

Out of 77 samples received from hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi over the last three weeks, 14 have been found positive for dengue fever, Pakistani health ministry announced Monday.

 

No death from the infection has so far been reported from the twin-cities, the health ministry said in a statement.

 

The samples were collected and confirmed by Pakistani National Institute of Health Laboratories.

 

Officials said so far some 432 people were found positive for dengue fever while 25 deaths have been reported so far since some months ago in southern Pakistani city of Karachi.

 

Mosquito-borne dengue fever was reportedly caused by a specific type of mosquito, the Aedes mosquito, that bites only during daytime, especially during sunrise and sunset. The mosquitoes usually breed in rain water in discarded containers and car tyres.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2006)