Islamabad: Pakistan has reported over 20,000 cases of dengue in the current year of 2024, as per a report from ARY News. Data from the National Institute of Health (NIH) indicates that from January 1 to November 15, 2024, the country has documented 20,057 cases of dengue fever.
According to the report, which underscores the ongoing health crisis, it has been revealed that during the same period, a total of 10 individuals have succumbed to the disease.
The province of Balochistan has recorded the highest number of dengue cases, with 6,958 reported infections. Following closely behind is Punjab, with 5,405 cases, including eight fatalities. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported 3,649 cases, with two fatalities, and Islamabad has documented 3,754 cases.
Furthermore, the report sheds light on a concerning lack of data from Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), regions that have yet to disclose their statistics regarding the dengue outbreak. This absence of data has sparked concerns among health officials, potentially obscuring the true extent of the dengue situation in the country.
In recent developments, the health department has reported 56 new cases of dengue in Lahore within a 24-hour period on Tuesday.
Dengue fever, transmitted through the bites of Aedes mosquitoes, remains a persistent threat in Pakistan, especially during the monsoon season. Health experts continue to advocate for increased preventive measures, including mosquito control programs, to mitigate the spread of the disease. The NIH and local health departments are diligently monitoring the situation as the year unfolds.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has characterized dengue as an infectious disease that poses a threat to more than half of the global population.
The WHO has emphasized, "The prevention and control of dengue are reliant on vector control measures. There is currently no specific treatment for severe dengue, but early detection and access to appropriate medical care significantly reduce the mortality rate associated with severe dengue."
