ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Health Ministry Wednesday said mosquito-borne dengue fever so far has caused 44 deaths across the country since early October and the patients declared positive for dengue virus reached 1,654.

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As many as 4,657 patients with symptoms similar to dengue fever have been admitted to hospitals across Pakistan till Wednesday evening, said the health ministry, quoted by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.

Among the 44 deaths, 42 are from south province Sindh and two others from North West Frontier Province, said the APP report.

A total of 732 patients with suspected dengue fever symptoms have so far been admitted to hospitals in federal capital Islamabad and the garrison city Rawlapindi, where positive cases of dengue virus stands at 287.

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.