Pakistan: Dengue Outbreak - Oct 2021

Since 8 October 2021, Islamabad has been facing a continuous rise in dengue fever cases, leading to pressure on public and private hospitals, according to the district health officer. [...] In Islamabad, dengue larvae were found at 53 different spots during the anti-dengue surveillance in the city. The highest number of cases have been reported in Tarlai Kalan with 55 cases, followed by 17 in Koral, and nine each in Alipur and Tarnol. As of 12 October, at least 113 people contracted the fever with five more fatalities and more than 200 patients are treated at different hospitals.

Moreover, 13 October turned out to be the third consecutive day when the capital reported over 100 dengue fever patients, 115, thus taking the overall number of cases in the capital to 1,458. This trend is alarming for the capital and immediate actions are required to be taken. According to the district health officer, 948 cases were reported from rural areas while 470 cases were confirmed in urban areas of Islamabad. The district health teams are actively engaged in containing the spread by destroying the mosquito breeding sites through spray and fumigation. The Islamabad administration has launched an anti-dengue campaign in response to the alarmingly high levels of dengue fever cases. (IFRC, 21 Oct 2021)

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in Pakistan observed an upsurge of dengue fever cases in the past weeks. The upsurge started in week 32 where an increase in number of cases was reported from different provinces in Pakistan reaching its peak on week 40. Health authorities intensified their response activities to contain this upsurge of cases and to control and prevent its spread to other communities or neighbouring countries. As of 11 November, Pakistan has reported total of 236,773 suspected dengue cases and 197 associated deaths. The total lab confirmed cases are 38,378. Punjab province reported the highest number of confirmed cases (43%) followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan. Most of the deaths were reported from Punjab (72.5%) where the district of Lahore reported 101 deaths (51% of the cases in the country). (WHO, 14 Nov 2021)

The dengue fever outbreak in Rawalpindi and Islamabad is gradually coming to its seasonal close, though sporadic cases of the infection were reported in districts as recently as mid-December. Despite the onset of the winter season, dengue cases continue to be reported in Government hospitals. (IFRC, 31 Jan 2022)