AS temperatures rise, the threat of dengue looms large over Pakistan. Its warning signs have already arrived. Dengue mosquito larvae were detected in 1,471 housesduring a surveillance campaign in Rawalpindi. While the Punjab government has issued directives for amplified public awareness and a comprehensive programme to lower dengue incidence, the country requires more deeply explored precautionary methods to block a wave. Besides, climate change has led to heat- and cold-resistant mosquito species as well as a shift in the pattern of vector-borne diseases. Last year, dengue cases showed an upward trend despite cooler temperatures — in November,Peshawar logged 85 new cases of denguehaemorrhagic fever. The overall picture was not heartening: according to a National Institute of Health report, Pakistan recorded 20,057 dengue cases in 2024. A consolidated approach involving inter-departmental coordination for strengthened supervision and timely purging of larvae throughout the year, with penalties for those who flout the stated SOPs, is the answer.

Punjab has known success. In 2011, the province adopted a game-changing strategy involving collaboration between Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Indonesian medical experts to help the government fight the illness. Along with proven procedures, medicines and machinery arrived in the country, including blood separator machines from Germany. Perhaps, it is time to revisit and replicate an upgraded version of the same in the country. We cannot afford another year of indolence. The federal and provincial administrations must embark on extensive fumigation operations in rural and urban areas, apart from preventing waterlogging to limit the havoc wreaked by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. All aspects of deterrence must be as fast-paced as mosquito breeding. Clean and ventilated living conditions with cost-free dengue tests are vital to keep swathes of people safe from infection. Pakistan must ensure that vector-borne misery does not mark the onset of each season.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025