Dengue data gaps alarm health officials

Despite repeated requests by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department, authorities are facing serious difficulties in obtaining complete case-based data on dengue patients from major tertiary care hospitals in the province, officials confirmed.

Worse still, no mechanism has been put in place to ensure the sharing of dengue-related data from private hospitals and clinics, a gap that health experts warn could undermine the province's anti-dengue measures.

According to a recent report issued by the health department's Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System, 56 suspected and 11 confirmed dengue cases have been reported across K-P. A total of 353 cases have been recorded so far this year, of which 54 have tested positive.

While all districts have reported dengue cases, timely intervention by the health department has kept the situation under control. Peshawar tops the list with 25 cases, while other districts have reported between one and six cases.

Sources said that in nine high-risk districts, including Abbottabad, Batgram, Malakand, Charsadda, Khyber, Mardan, Haripur, and Peshawar, dengue-positive larvae have been scientifically eliminated. In addition, 40,175 community awareness sessions have been conducted, along with extensive indoor and outdoor larval surveillance covering 11,937 households, 538,476 containers, and 13,402 outdoor activities.

Officials said training for dengue surveillance and response teams will begin next week, with technical training to be provided to staff.

However, senior officials expressed deep concern that major Medical Teaching Institution hospitals are sharing only minimal data on dengue patients with the health department. Despite multiple written requests and reminders to both the hospitals and their Boards of Governors, the data is not being shared responsibly.

Officials explained that case-based data from large MTI hospitals is critical because dengue patients from various districts are often referred to these facilities, creating the risk of double-counting. Moreover, when confirmed cases are reported, the department deploys response teams to affected areas for more effective surveillance and larvae identification and destruction.