ISLAMABAD - Mosquito-borne dengue fever has so far claimed 35 lives across Pakistan since early October and as many as some 1,300 patients were declared positive for dengue virus, local media reported Thursday.

Among the 35 death reports, 33 are from south province Sindh and two from Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province, reports said.

As many as 3,530 patients with suspected symptoms of dengue fever were so far admitted to hospitals of the country by Wednesday evening, according to Thursday's newspaper The News.

In the twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi, up to 537 patients were admitted to hospitals with symptoms similar to those of dengue fever, and the number of positive cases have reached 188, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Dengue fever is an acute, infectious tropical disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, and characterized by high fever, rash, headache, and severe muscle and joint pain, according to a definition given by the dictionary.

Authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to create public awareness about the disease, and local government bodies have been directed to take precautionary measures to avoid spread of the virus, like spraying mosquitocide.