ISLAMABAD, June 18: The capital territory administration has triggered a dengue alert for the rural area and declared Sector G-6 as a high-risk area for a possible outbreak of the disease in the upcoming monsoon season.

According to figures gathered by this reporter, last year five hospitals in the capital had registered over 1,000 dengue cases and 680 were confirmed to be suffering from the disease.

Chief Commissioner Islamabad Tariq Pirzada said the patients - 78 per cent males and 22 per cent females - were treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Polyclinic, Capital Development Hospital, KRL Hospital and a private hospital.

He said 48 per cent of the dengue positive patients were from rural and 52 per cent from the urban areas. “The urban area dengue positive patients hailed from Khyber Pkahtunkhwa and Punjab,” he added.

Asked which were the high-risk areas of the capital city, he said: “Sector G-6 in the urban area and Tarnol, Bhara Kahu, Shakrial, Bahria Town and parts of Khana Bridge in the rural.”

Mr Pirzada said that learning from their past experience, the ICT administration had already started a fumigation campaign in the rural parts of the city.

“Till now, we have spotted some 216 locations where massive fumigations drive is continuing for the last two weeks and the campaign will end by June 26.”