The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department has expressed serious concern over a potential dengue outbreak across the province following the recent monsoon rains.
The department has alerted all high-risk districts in the province, instructing them to enhance surveillance measures.
So far this year, 80 dengue cases have been reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a lower number compared to last year. Timely actions by the health department have resulted in significantly fewer dengue cases in K-P compared to other provinces.
In K-P, cases have been reported from 14 districts, with some districts like Chitral Lower, Upper Dir, Buner, and Mardan only reporting one case each. Other districts have reported isolated cases: Charsadda with two cases, Kohat with two, Nowshera with two, and Swat with three cases leading the numbers.
The health department has identified seven districts as high-risk areas due to positive cases: Peshawar with 17 cases, Dera Ismail Khan with two, Bannu with 11, Hazara with 13, Kohat with two, Mardan with 10, and Malakand with 20 cases.
Efforts are being intensified in these districts to control the situation. Peshawar, in particular, has emerged as a hotspot, with 17 cases reported by July 10 and four new positive cases within a week.
In June alone, 38 cases were reported in K-P. The highest number of dengue cases in the province was recorded in 2017, with 25,000 cases and 70 deaths. The implementation of the Dengue Action Plan has significantly improved the situation, helping to keep this year’s numbers under control.
Many affected individuals have recovered after treatment, and hospitals have ensured the availability of beds and medicines. All district health officers have been instructed to take preventive measures, especially after the recent monsoon rains, as October and November are peak months for dengue larvae proliferation.
Follow ProPakistani on Google News & scroll through your favourite content faster!
Support independent journalism
If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on our side. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
