KARACHI, Oct 12: The death toll in the mosquito-caused epidemic rose to eight in the city as another patient suspected to be suffering from dengue fever died in a private hospital during the last 24 hours, ending at 3pm on Friday.

Dr Shakeel Mullick, deputy secretary of the Sindh health department and head of the provincial dengue monitoring cell, said the victim, a resident of PECHS, was being treated at the Liaquat National Hospital and a serological test was due in his case.

A senior doctor from the LNH told Dawn that the patient was brought to the hospital with a history of bleeding and suffering from the dengue fever syndrome. The man was about 45, he added.

With this death, the number of fatalities rose to four at the LNH during the last six weeks.

In the meantime, 14 new patients suspected to have contracted dengue fever were brought to different hospitals. Of the overall 872 admissions made so far to 22 public and private hospitals, 403 patients have been tested dengue positive.

While the overall rate of dengue positive cases as confirmed by the health department till Oct 12 stood at 46.21 per cent, the Aga Khan University Hospital has a record of 100 per cent dengue positive.