PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is witnessing a steady rise in dengue infections, as confirmed cases reaching 478 this year and Peshawar recording the highest number of cases in the province, said officials at provincial health department.
Health officials said a total of 2,697 suspected dengue cases have been reported at government hospitals across the province so far this year. However, no deaths caused by dengue have been recorded in KP this year.
While sharing official figures, a total of 620 suspected dengue cases were reported during the last seven days, of which 83 were subsequently confirmed as dengue infections. It must be noted that Peshawar remains the worst-affected district with 177 confirmed dengue cases reported so far followed by Kohat with 151 confirmed cases.
The health department’s data shows that Bannu has reported 31 confirmed dengue cases, while 21 cases have been recorded in Haripur. Swat has so far reported 10 confirmed cases. Authorities have intensified surveillance and preventive measures across the province to control the spread of the mosquito-borne disease and prevent the breeding of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
As part of the prevention campaign, more than 246,000 houses have been inspected across KP to identify and eliminate potential dengue breeding sites. During these inspections dengue larvae were found at 600 locations which were subsequently identified as positive for dengue larvae.
Health authorities have also increased inspections of outdoor locations. More than 22,000 outdoor sites have been checked across the province as part of efforts to prevent mosquito breeding. Officials said 304 outdoor locations were found to be positive for dengue larvae during the inspections.
The rising number of confirmed cases has prompted health authorities to continue monitoring the situation, particularly in districts reporting higher numbers of infections. Despite the increase in infections, the Health Department has confirmed that no dengue-related deaths have been reported in the province so far this year.
