The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi continue to see a constant rise in the number of dengue virus cases as another patient died of the victor-born disease in the federal capital on Monday, taking the total deaths to nine so far this season.
According to the Islamabad District Health Officer’s office, 90 new dengue virus cases surfaced in Islamabad during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of dengue patients to over 2,950 in Islamabad.
According to the World Health Organisation, between 1 January and 27 September 2022, a total of 25 932 confirmed dengue cases and 62 deaths (CFR 0.25%) were reported in Pakistan, with 74% of these cases reported in the month of September alone.
It said that the current surge in cases follows unprecedented flooding that began in mid-June 2022. With the current flood crisis affecting the national health system capacity and the growing humanitarian situation, there is a high risk of serious health impacts from dengue fever and other concurrent disease outbreaks. According to the WHO, high population movement between Pakistan and bordering countries (in particular, Afghanistan and Iran) means that the international transmission of dengue fever cannot be ruled out.
