Dengue is a dangerous disease that causes flu-like symptoms in its patients such as fever, coughing, and headaches. The dengue fever is endemic in Pakistan and several urban areas of the country experience recurrent outbreaks.
It is transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos, and devastating monsoon seasons in previous years have almost always worsened its spread across the country.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), between January and September 2022, Pakistan reported a total of 25, 932 confirmed dengue cases out of which 62 resulted in deaths. A major issue in Balochistan is that many cases remain unreported due to a lack of healthcare accessibility and facilities. Many people in the region also do not understand the severity of the disease and end up losing their lives.
The peak season of the dengue virus is upon us but for some reason, the federal administration is waiting for the virus to cause devastation first before taking any action. It is important that immediate measures are taken before we are in the throes of the disease.
Mahnoor Majeed
Kech
