Pakistan orders ‘strict’ implementation of dengue control plan ahead of monsoon next week
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday ordered “strict” implementation of standard operating procedures for dengue prevention ahead of the monsoon season starting next week as at least nine cases of dengue have been reported so far in the Pakistani capital.
Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes and can be fatal in the most severe cases, but there is currently no cure or vaccine. Dengue fever often causes intense flu-like symptoms, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, body aches, high fever, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes and a rash.
The first dengue-related death this year was reported in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh on 3 June.
“The dengue control plan formulated must be implemented diligently,” the interior minister was quoted as saying in a statement to the Capital Development Authority chairman and Islamabad’s chief commissioner on Saturday. “Prompt drainage of rainwater from low-lying areas must be ensured.”
The CDA chairman informed Naqvi that a dengue control working group has been set up in the Islamabad-Rawalpindi border areas and the administrations of the two cities will work “as a team” to prevent dengue.
Dengue is endemic in Pakistan and is transmitted throughout the year with seasonal peaks.
According to the advisory issued by Pakistan’s National Institute of Health for 2023, a total of 52,929 dengue cases and 224 deaths were reported in the country in 2021, while in 2022 there were around 79,007 confirmed dengue cases and 149 deaths, with a surge in cases following the unprecedented floods that began in mid-June 2022. In 2023, Pakistan reported 3,019 suspected dengue cases and eight deaths.
According to the Islamabad Chief Commissioner, nine cases have been reported in Islamabad so far.
Helped by climate change, the virus is surging around the world: In just six months, countries in the Americas have already broken their annual records for dengue cases.
The World Health Organization declared a state of emergency in December, and Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency in March.
Dengue fever is still not very common in the continental U.S., but cases have tripled across all 50 states this year compared with the same period last year.
