K-P to intensify anti-dengue drive

Health minister satisfied with ongoing efforts to fight disease

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah has issued directives to intensify anti-dengue activities with the onset of the monsoon season. He ordered the increase of larvicidal activities and acceleration of awareness campaigns.

He issued these directives at an anti-dengue review meeting held under his chairmanship on Monday at the health secretariat.

The meeting was attended by K-P Health Secretary Adeel Shah, Health Special Secretary Polio Abdul Basit, Health DG Dr Muhammad Saleem Khan, EPI Director Dr Arif, Public Health Director Dr Irshad Roghani, representatives of the district administration, UNICEF, WHO, and officials from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Syed Qasim Ali Shah expressed satisfaction with the anti-dengue measures taken thus far and ordered the distribution of mosquito nets in affected areas and the launch of targeted campaigns in hotspots to prevent future outbreaks. Public Health Director Dr Irshad Roghani presented an overview of the current dengue situation.

He urged the necessity to monitor water storage due to load shedding and reported that mosquito nets have been distributed in affected areas, with further distribution ongoing. Dr Roghani highlighted that dengue cases are at a historic low compared to the previous year, with only 69 cases reported in 2024. Of the total, only five are active, and all under home quarantine.

Roghani further revealed that over 1,700 awareness walks and more than 92,000 awareness sessions have been conducted, educating millions about dengue prevention. He explained that upon detection of a positive dengue case, WHO protocols are followed, including fogging and IRS spraying in the affected area to eliminate mosquito and larval reservoirs. Regarding entomological surveillance, Dr Roghani informed the meeting that continuous surveillance of anti-dengue activities was ongoing, with 1.5 million homes checked so far. The checks resulted in the elimination of dengue larvae in over 500 homes.

"Over 4,000 dengue breeding sites inside homes and 640 positive larvae sites, identified during external surveillance, have been eradicated" he added. As many as 133 cases of dengue have been reported In Punjab and a staggering 6,000 in Balochistan.

Analysis over the past three years indicates that the dengue season begins in August, with the highest number of cases in September. This year, only 17 cases have been reported from Peshawar Division, and 21 cases from Malakand Division.