ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have completed preparations under a dengue control plan to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne dengue fever and keep people safe during the monsoon season that begins next week, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Dengue fever can be fatal in its most severe cases and 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.
Dengue fever is endemic in Pakistan, with seasonal peaks but transmission occurring throughout the year. The first dengue-related death this year was reported on June 3 in Sindh province in southern Pakistan.
Federal Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered authorities concerned to “strictly” implement standard operating procedures for dengue prevention after around nine cases of dengue were reported in the Pakistani capital.
“The dengue control plan formulated should be implemented diligently,” he was quoted as saying in a statement to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman and Islamabad chief executive earlier today. “Prompt drainage of rainwater from low-lying areas needs to be ensured.”
The CDA chairman told Naqvi that dengue control working groups have been set up in Islamabad suburbs and neighbouring Rawalpindi, adding that the administrations of the two cities would work “as a team” to prevent the disease.
“The Federal Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Capital Development Authority and district administrations, has already started implementing preventive measures in Islamabad and its surrounding areas,” Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Shah told Arab News.
He said teams are working on the ground and awareness campaigns are also being prepared to create awareness among the public about the issue.
Authorities in four states across the country have taken similar measures.
Actions taken by states
Dr Soumya Iqtadar, executive director of Punjab’s Dengue Expert Advisory Group, said the state’s dengue control programme has begun with clearing water storage areas, door-to-door canvassing, early detection of larvae and special attention to infection hotspots like junkyards, construction sites and graveyards.
“These areas have been classified as high-risk and low-risk areas,” she told Arab News.
“If a case is reported at the hospital, through a surveillance system, the team will check 12 houses on either side of the infected person’s residence to identify any additional cases and isolate them to prevent further spread,” she said, adding that all districts are following the same protocol and instructions have been given to complete preparations under the district health authorities and district administration.
“The Punjab Information Technology Commission is preparing a dashboard where all the cases in the province will be reported and analysis is being done on a weekly basis to formulate future strategies,” she added.
Dr Syed Mustaq Ahmed Shah, deputy director general for vector-borne diseases in the Sindh government, said 2,880 public and private hospitals are gearing up to handle the influx of dengue cases in the province.
“So far there has been only one death, a 75-year-old man who already had multiple health problems,” he told Arab News.
Shah added that he has directed all district and civic authorities to remove open water reservoirs and put up banners in public places to create awareness among people.
He further said that they had educated around 550 students on the subject before the summer vacation to prevent the spread of dengue fever within their homes.
“Plans are also being prepared for large-scale spraying in hotspots in various districts under the direction of the Deputy Commissioner,” he added.
Discussing the measures taken by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, provincial health ministry spokesman Ataullah Khan said authorities had conducted extensive training for this purpose.
“The dengue control programme approved in March included training in all provinces, removal of open water ponds in public places, chemical and mechanical cleaning and indoor residual spraying (IRS),” Ataullah Khan, spokesman for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ministry of Health, told Arab News.
He said a multi-sectoral approach was adopted to prevent the spread of the disease, focusing on timely disposal of dengue larvae and strengthening public health services.
“An integrated disease surveillance and response system will monitor the outbreak and a dengue control cell will be established under the Directorate General of Health Services,” he said, adding that district emergency response teams have been trained, community awareness created and awareness materials prepared.
“All district headquarters hospitals have been directed to set up separate dengue wards to handle the influx of patients,” he added.
Balochistan Additional Director General of Health Dr Fahim Afridi said the provincial government has prepared a dengue control plan with the cooperation of all stakeholders, including municipal committees, animal husbandry department and district administrations.
He said authorities are working on a multi-pronged strategy and implementation is underway.
“The districts of Kech, Gwadar and Lasbela are dengue-prone areas and we have carried out interventions in all these places,” he told Arab News.
“Our teams conducted door-to-door campaigns, took water samples and eradicated the larvae wherever they were found,” he said, adding that the health department had also provided nets to the district administration for distribution among residents.
According to an advisory issued by Pakistan’s National Institute of Health last year, a total of 52,929 dengue cases and 224 deaths were reported in the country in 2021, while around 79,007 confirmed dengue cases and 149 deaths were recorded in 2022, 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.
Helped by climate change, the virus is surging around the world: In just six months, countries in North and South America have already seen their dengue cases reach new calendar-year records.
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.
