Dengue fever transmission is widespread in Pakistan

There are widespread reports of dengue fever outbreaks across Pakistan, including some major cities. The most affected areas include:

• Punjab - affected cities include Lahore
• Rawalpindi (50 infected people reported in 24 hours)
• Sindh - affected cities include Karachi (102 infected people detected in past week)
• Hyderabad, Mithi, Tharparkar, Sukkur, Ghotki, Larkana, Tando Muhammad Khan, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Naushero Feroz, Shikarpur, Dadu, Shaheed Benazirabad, Umerkot, Thatta, Badin, Jamshoro and Sanghar
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - affected areas include Hazara (3 deaths) and Swabi

Advice

The absence of reports from other areas does not mean that there is no dengue fever transmission there. The risk of exposure will vary from place to place and may be high in many localities.

All travellers to areas where the dengue fever virus is active can reduce their risk of exposure by taking all necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Many persons with dengue fever do not seek medical care and are not reported to health authorities. There may be many more cases in the community than the reports indicate.