PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 97 per cent reduction in cases of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever in 2023 as compared to last year owing to coordinated efforts of all line departments and support of religious scholars, teachers and students.

Health Secretary Mahmood Aslam Wazir said in a press release here on Tuesday that a total of 20,566 suspected cases of dengue were reported throughout the province in the current year. Of them, 19,013 suspected patients were screened and only 747 were confirmed to have the mosquito-borne ailment. No death was recorded due to dengue in the province in the ongoing year because of the strong surveillance and management mechanism put in place in hospitals, he said.

He said that compared to 22,960 cases in 2022, the current cases showed a significant 97 per cent reduction, which was a landmark achievement. “Credit for it goes to healthcare workers, lady health workers, local clerics, teachers, students and employees of all departments,” he added.

Mr Wazir said that despite limited resources and funding, Civil Defence and other line departments demonstrated improved efficiency in tackling dengue. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported the lowest number of dengue cases as compared to other provinces.

Health secretary lauds line depts for coordinated efforts to control the disease

He said that more than10 million houses were checked as part of dengue prevention campaign. Dengue larvicides were used in more than 9,000 homes where the presence of dengue larvae was confirmed. Additionally, the examination of more than three million potential larval habitats took place.

The health secretary said that lady health workers delivered more than 200,000 awareness messages as part of a campaign. A total of 4,462 awareness sessions including walks and lectures were conducted. He also lauded religious leaders, divisional and districts administrations and health department employees for successfully limiting dengue cases.

Mr Wazir said that vital role was played by medical entomologists in bringing down dengue cases. He also appreciated education department for spreading awareness regarding the causes and prevention of the disease.

He said that dengue had been endemic in the province for the past few years due to which most of the people in hotspots knew its preventive measures. He hoped that soon dengue fever would be completely eliminated from the province.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2023