PESHAWAR: Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are optimistic about the early eradication of dengue haemorrhagic fever as the province is reporting fewer cases than others.

A report compiled by the health department’s Integrated Vector Control Programme reveals that the province has so far 117 confirmed dengue cases this year.

Of them, 106 have recovered from the infectiousdisease caused by mosquitoes and 11 have been isolated for being “active.” The dengue incidence is on the decline, with just one resident testing positive for the fever in the last 24 hours.

According to the report, Balochistan has reported 6,956 dengue cases, Sindh 2,024, Punjab 340 and Islamabad 20.

Say fewer cases being reported in province than others

For the second consecutive year, KP has detected fewer dengue cases than other provinces. Last year, Punjab reported the highest number of cases in the country (15,268) followed by Sindh (2,867), Balochistan (2,761), Islamabad (4,330), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (747).

Experts attribute the tangible decline in dengue incidence in the province to the growing public awareness of the preventive measures and the efforts of health workers and employees of other department to eliminate the mosquito breeding sites.

The province has been home to dengue virus since 2015 when 1,397 residents were diagnosed with the fever.

The number of cases dropped to 998 next year. However, in 2017, the province recorded the worst dengue outbreak of its history, with 69 people losing life to the infection, mostly in Peshawar, and 26,000 being hospitalised.

The next year, there was no death from dengue. However, 1,022 cases were reported. The number surged to 7,082 in 2019 with no death.

The year 2020 reported 60 cases with zero mortality. However, not only a jump was reported in cases (10,615) the next year but people also lost life to the fever.

According to the IVCP report, 2022 recorded 18 deaths from dengue, with the cases totalling 22,960.

However, the number of cases declined in 2023 and 2024 as 747 and 117 cases were reported respectively.

While recording fewer cases, the province has managed to restrict the virus to some districts, including Peshawar, Abbottabad, Swabi, Bajaur, Swat, Charsadda, and Lower Dir.

Officials in the health department told Dawn that they had fully implemented the Dengue Action Plan under the direct supervision of the chief secretary.

They said the department in collaboration with municipalities as well as education and other relevant departments had been working on dengue elimination under the supervision of the district administrations and carried out active surveillance of hotspots in line with the technical guidance of medical entomologists, so puddles were removed to deny breeding sites to mosquitoes.

Officials said that given the speed with which those authorities had been working, there was a high likelihood of the province recording far fewer dengue cases next year.

They also said the focus was on the virus “epicentres,” so lady health workers went from door to door to increase awareness among women on how to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.

“Our staff members are educating women on how to store water in a safe way so that the mosquitoes are not produced. In the dengue-endemic areas, not only are the people eliminating standing water but they’re also using impregnated bed nets to avoid mosquito bites,” a health official told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2024