Search form

You are here

  • Home
  • Northwest Pakistani province on high alert as over 100 dengue cases reported in a week


Northwest Pakistani province on high alert as over 100 dengue cases reported in a week

Relatives accompany patients suffering from dengue fever on beds under netting at a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan on September 12, 2019. (AFP/File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/2bvfk

Updated 30 August 2023
Follow

Northwest Pakistani province on high alert as over 100 dengue cases reported in a week

  • Health adviser says authorities taking measures to control dengue larvae spread in all districts
  • Dengue is endemic in Pakistan, with year-round transmission and peak infections in late August
Updated 30 August 2023
Sarah B. Haider

ISLAMABAD: More than 100 people contracted the dengue virus in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province over the last week, health authorities confirmed on Wednesday, prompting authorities to implement preventive measures in all districts of the northwestern region.

Dengue is an illness spread through the bite of an infected mosquito and can lead to death in its most severe form. People affected by dengue go through intense flu-like symptoms including high fever, intense headache, muscle and joint pain, and nausea and vomiting, typically persisting for approximately a week.

Health experts say the illness spreads because of poor hygiene conditions, and heavy monsoon rain provides ideal conditions for dengue-carrying mosquitoes to thrive in stagnant waters.

Data from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department on Wednesday showed Peshawar, the provincial capital, had registered the highest count with 22 dengue cases in the past week while Mardan documented 13 cases, Swabi nine, Lower Chitral seven, Bajaur six, Kohat four, and Nowshera three. In addition, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber, Abbottabad, and Lower Dir had two cases each, while Battagram, Hangu, Torghar, Manshera, Lakki Marwat, and Bannu had one case each.

“Several teams have been formed to prevent the spread of dengue in the province and the situation is being monitored in all the districts,” Dr. Riaz Anwar, adviser to the KP chief minister on health, said in a statement from the health department.

He said health authorities were implementing measures to curb the spread of dengue larvae across all districts and “comprehensive facilities” for patient treatment, including medical personnel and medications, were being made available in households.

“Indoor residual spraying (IRS) for dengue has also been started in the affected areas,” the official added.

According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan is considered an endemic region for dengue, with ongoing transmission throughout the year accompanied by seasonal surges. The mosquito population reaches its peak during the initial rainy season, typically around early June. However, the highest incidence of infections in both mosquitoes and humans occurs several months later, usually in late August.

On June 26, KP’s health department reported that at least 40 cases were reported within a week across the province.

The first case of dengue was registered in Pakistan in 1994. There is currently no cure or vaccine for the virus.

Topics: Pakistan dengue

Pakistan warns against landslides, avalanches next week amid rain and snowfall prediction

Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan warns against landslides, avalanches next week amid rain and snowfall prediction

  • Westerly wave likely to approach western areas from Dec. 29, persist till Jan. 2, says Met Office
  • Pakistan advises tourists to exercise caution while traveling in northern areas during the period
Updated 9 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Meteorological Department on Sunday warned against the possibility of landslides and avalanches in the country’s northern areas next week, as it forecast heavy rains and snowfall in hilly regions. 

The Met Office predicted that a westerly wave is likely to approach Pakistan’s western areas from Dec. 29 and strengthen from Dec. 30 onwards. This wave is expected to grip most upper and central parts of the country on Dec. 31 and persist in the upper areas till Jan. 2, the PMD said. 
 
“Possibility of landslides/avalanches in hilly areas of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during the period,” the PMD warned. 

“Tourists are advised to remain extra cautious and avoid unnecessary traveling during the period.”

The advisory warned that rainfall with wind and thunderstorm and snowfall is likely in Punjab’s Murree and the Galliyat region from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 with occasional gaps. It also warned of rain with wind, thunderstorms and moderate snowfall in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir regions during the same period.

The PMD warned of rain with wind and thunderstorms, with moderate to heavy snowfall in upper areas from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1 in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 

For Sindh and Balochistan provinces, the PMD warned that rain with wind and thunderstorms with snowfall were expected over hilly areas from Dec. 29-31. 

The PMD warned snowfall may cause road closures or slippery conditions in the northern areas of Naran, Kaghan, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Shangla, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Murree, Galliyat and Neelum Valley from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2. 

“Fog condition is likely to subside in central/southern parts of Punjab and upper Sindh during the wet spell,” it said. 

“Daytime temperatures are likely to drop further in the coming week, particularly after the spell.”

Authorities in the past have urged people to avoid northern areas or exercise caution in travel when weather conditions are expected to deteriorate during the winter season. 

At least 21 people, including nine children, died in freezing temperatures after being stuck in their vehicles in the Pakistani hill station of Murree in January 2022 when roads became impassable due to heavy snow. 

Topics: Pakistan winters Avalanche risk in Pakistan Climate Change in Pakistan

Latest updates

Pakistan warns against landslides, avalanches next week amid rain and snowfall prediction
Kosovo voters cast ballots in a second attempt this year to elect a government and avoid more crisis
Guinea junta strongman headed for victory in presidential vote
Pakistan joins OIC, Islamic nations to reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
Putin says Russia will achieve its Ukraine aims by force if Kyiv doesn’t want peace

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.