PESHAWAR: The World Health Organisation has announced the launch of an integrated disease surveillance dashboard in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid rising dengue cases in the province.

The UN health agency also promised to help the health department set up high dependency units in public hospitals for patients suffering from dengue shock syndrome.

The announcement came from WHO Pakistan chief Dr Luo Dapeng during a meeting with director (vector-borne diseases) at the health department Dr Fazal Rehman here on Wednesday, according to an official statement.

The province recorded 80 new cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the day, mostly from Peshawar, taking its overall tally this year to 1,755.

It also promises help for setting up high dependency units in govt hospitals

A report from the health department said the province had 580 active dengue cases, including 67 admitted ones, with 14 hospitalised in the last 24 hours.

It added that of the hospitalised patients, 1,173 were discharged after recovery.

The WHO’s representative also announced assistance for the elimination of dengue larvae in five high-risk union councils in Peshawar district, which had reported 595 dengue cases, the highest in the province, with 14 hospitalised ones.

He also said the UN agency would extend full support to the health department for the removal of mosquito larvae in endemic areas to ease the production of mosquitoes, the sole carriers and transmitters of the virus.

Dr Fazal Rehman sought the WHO’s support for the prevention and control of the “violent outbreak of the vector-borne disease during the meeting, which focused on the deteriorating public health problem triggered by the disease,” according to the statement.

Dr Dapeng said in addition to establishing the integrated disease surveillance dashboard to monitor dengue cases in the province, the WHO would also impart emergency training to doctors and healthcare providers on dengue case management.

He said his organisation would also supply PCR kits for dengue “serotyping” to the Public Health Reference Lab in Khyber Medical University as part of its support to strengthen diagnostic services in the province.

The WHO’s representative said the lab had already been working in collaboration with the WHO and the NIH in Islamabad to strengthen investigative services and contain notifiable diseases, including dengue haemorrhagic fever.

According to the official statement, the health department has deployed more than 40 medical entomologists who will be given training by the world health agency to enhance their skills and technical know-how about mosquitoes.

Health officials said in the day that Abbottabad had reported 172 new dengue cases, Hangu 152, Mansehra 143, Nowshera 120, Charsadda 102, Lower Kohistan 77, Mardan 63, Haripur 44, Kohat 42, Bannu 41 and Swat 35,

They said the disease was widespread in the province with the cases being reported from almost all districts.

The officials said six districts had reported around 100 cases, with the local authorities continuing to operate in line with the Dengue Action Plan, 2024.

The health department also said the WHO would support field operations and provide two hand foggier machines along with educational materials to raise awareness of dengue prevention.

Meanwhile, health officials said there were hopes for a decline in dengue incidence after the onset of the winter season, but the anti-dengue campaign would continue as the virus and its carrier existed in the province.

They said the WHO’s assistance was desperately required to eliminate mosquito larvae from dengue hotspots in Peshawar, which had recorded 35 per cent of the total cases reported in the province.

The officials said the province had recorded 851 dengue cases in the first nine days of October, so the health department couldn’t afford laxity.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2024