According to health officials, there has been an increase in dengue cases in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, with 72 new cases being reported in the past day alone.
48 instances were reported from rural regions of Islamabad, while 24 patients were confirmed in the city, according to a report issued on Wednesday evening by the Office of the District Health Officer Islamabad.
According to a study, there have been 943 dengue cases in the city this year, with 601 instances coming from rural areas and 342 from urban areas. It also stated that four patients had died, with two cases both in rural and urban areas.
The disturbingly high number of dengue fever infections has prompted Islamabad to initiate an anti-dengue campaign. As per reports, the country’s latest dengue outbreak followed monsoon rains that caused flooding.
According to health experts, a major area of the nation has been submerged in floodwater that has been sitting still for a few weeks, which has led to the spread of numerous diseases, including dengue fever.
Pakistan is a year-round, national risk area for dengue disease. 22,938 cases of dengue fever were reported in Pakistan in 2017, more than 3,200 cases in 2018, 24,547 cases in 2019, and 3,442 cases in 2020, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad.
A total of 48,906 cases, including 183 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio (CFR): 0.4%), were reported in the nation between 1 January and 25 November 2021. Cases increased in 2021, especially in Lahore and the twin cities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad).
According to the District Health Officer, the COVID-19 pandemic put tremendous strain on public and private hospitals in Islamabad during the second half of 2021 due to a steady increase in dengue fever patients (DHO).
The MoH requested PRCS’s assistance for controlling the disease outbreak in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on October 12, 2021, in a meeting with the Secretary General, while the Punjab Government successfully addressed the virus’ spread in Lahore.