Dengue test price in Pakistan 2026: NS1 Rs 3,450, CBC Rs 90, and which test to get

Dengue test price in Pakistan, October 2026: at Chughtai Lab, the CBC for dengue patients costs Rs 90 in Punjab, and the NS1 antigen, IgM and IgG tests are Rs 3,450 each. A PCR test costs Rs 7,350 and the full Dengue Profile Rs 9,800. These are the prices Chughtai Lab's online test list showed on 9 October 2026. Which test you need depends on how many days you have had a fever, and getting that wrong is the most common way people waste money.

Dengue test prices at a glance

Chughtai Lab lists these on its test list. Its own FAQ says the Rs 90 CBC for dengue applies only in Punjab, and that the CBC for dengue covers four values (Hb, white cell count, haematocrit and platelet count) rather than the full routine CBC.

Why the CBC costs only Rs 90 in Punjab

In July 2023 the Punjab government fixed the fee for a CBC test for dengue at Rs 90 in every laboratory in the province, as Dawn and ProPakistani reported at the time, when a qualified doctor prescribes it. Chughtai Lab still charges that amount in Punjab. If a private lab in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad or Multan asks for more for a CBC ordered for suspected dengue, ask for the dengue rate by name.

Other provinces set their own limits. In September 2022 the Sindh Healthcare Commission capped the NS1 test at Rs 850, the CBC at Rs 250 and the malaria ICT at Rs 500, and the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority capped the NS1 ELISA at Rs 1,800, as ProPakistani reported. These are 2022 figures. Before you pay, ask the lab whether a cap is in force today, and complain to the provincial healthcare commission if a lab ignores one.

Which dengue test to get: step by step

1. Count the days since the fever started. The day the fever began is day 1. Every decision below depends on this number.
2. Days 1 to 7: ask for NS1 (plus a CBC). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says NS1 antigen tests can be as sensitive as PCR during the first seven days of symptoms. Chughtai Lab's own guidance is that NS1 is usually positive in the first four to five days. A PCR test does the same job at about twice the price, so most people do not need it.
3. After day 7: ask for IgM instead. The CDC recommends IgM antibody testing as the main test after day 7, and says IgM can pick up most recent infections from day 4 onwards. An NS1 test this late can come back negative even when you have dengue.
4. Skip IgG on its own. A single IgG result does not diagnose a current infection; it can show you had dengue in the past. It is useful mainly when a doctor compares two samples taken days apart.
5. Repeat the CBC, not the NS1. Once dengue is confirmed or strongly suspected, doctors follow the platelet count and haematocrit, which the CBC for dengue measures. At Rs 90 in Punjab, the CBC is the test you will repeat.
6. Book home sampling if you are too unwell to travel. Chughtai Lab charges home sampling service charges per visit, not per patient, according to its FAQ, so two family members tested on the same visit pay the charge once. Its booking line is 03-111-456-789.
7. Take the report to a doctor the same day. The CDC notes that a negative NS1 or PCR result does not rule out dengue, so a doctor should read the report with your symptoms, and anyone who gets worse should go to hospital whatever the test says.

Package prices if you are not sure it is dengue

When a fever could be dengue, malaria, typhoid or chikungunya, a fever panel can be cheaper than ordering tests one by one. Aga Khan University Hospital's Acute Fever Package includes a CBC with peripheral film, blood culture, dengue NS1 antigen, chikungunya IgM and a malaria antigen test for Rs 16,520 (listed price Rs 20,650), according to its health packages page on 9 October 2026. AKU says prices can change without notice.

How to read the result

• NS1 positive: confirms an active dengue infection.
• NS1 negative in the first days: does not rule dengue out. Repeat testing or an IgM test later may be needed.
• IgM positive: a probable recent infection. IgM can cross-react with related viruses, so the doctor reads it with your symptoms.
• IgG on a single sample: not used to diagnose a current infection; a rise between two samples days apart points to a recent one.
• CBC: your doctor compares the platelet count and haematocrit from one day to the next, which is why it is repeated.

Mistakes that cost money or time

• Getting NS1 on day 9 or 10. By then IgM is the right test. NS1 may be negative and you pay Rs 3,450 for a misleading result.
• Paying the full CBC price for a dengue CBC in Punjab. Ask for "CBC for dengue" by name; Chughtai lists it separately at Rs 90.
• Ordering IgG alone. It answers a different question (have you had dengue before?).
• Waiting for a test result before seeing a doctor. See a doctor with the fever; the doctor decides which test and when.
• Buying the Dengue Profile by default. At Rs 9,800 it costs almost three NS1 tests; ask your doctor whether you need more than NS1 or IgM plus a CBC.

Dengue in Pakistan this season

Rawalpindi reported confirmed cases and widespread larval sites in September (Dengue in Rawalpindi), and the WHO has warned that this El Nino raises the risk of dengue and cholera (WHO on El Nino and dengue).

To find a hospital or doctor near you, see our directory of hospitals in Lahore, hospitals in Rawalpindi, hospitals in Karachi and pharmacies.

Prices are from each lab's own website on 9 October 2026 and can change. This guide is general information, not medical advice.