PESHAWAR: As dengue hemorrhagic fever infects people mainly in Charsadda, Mansehra, Haripur, Peshawar, Swabi and Kohat districts, experts associated with the prevention and control efforts say given the past pattern the vector-borne ailment will surge during the current month and decline in November when temperatures dip.

So far, the province has recorded 2,526 cases, including 938 in Charsadda, 290 in Mansehra, 236 in Haripur, 174 in Peshawar, 125 in Kohat and 101 in Swabi, according to daily situation report released by the Integrated Diseases Surveillance and Response System at the directorate-general health services, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to it, 28 infections were reported in the last 24 hours, including 20 hospitalisations.

The experts said that cases would peak in the current month (October) like previous year because the temperature will remain favourable for breeding of mosquitoes.

Say cases to decline in Nov when temperatures drop

The temperature between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius is most appropriate for mosquito production.

They said the vicious cycle of dengue continued to haunt people almost every year.

The vector-borne disease has been endemic in the province since 2017 due to similar factors, they said. As people have now become aware of the causes of the disease they tend to cover water pots, but the situation in markets, service stations and factories is different, causing spread of the disease.

They said power outages have also forced people to store water because they don’t have access to continuous availability of water.

Experts also point out that varied messaging about dengue prevention by NGOs was causing confusion unlike most countries, which have controlled dengue by issuing a single message that find receptive ears.

The experts said another problem causing spread of dengue is the infected people travel from one city to another. They said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also receiving infected people from other parts of the country.

The experts said that the cases were still fewer given the 40 million population of the province, which means less than 800 cases for 10 million people, which is acceptable as per international standards. But the worrisome factor was that the province had been witnessing the disease every year and the cycle continued.

Nevertheless, the health department has deployed 40 entomologists and 18 more will be recruited soon for merged districts in addition to establishment of dedicated wards in every district.

However, the fact remains that the causative agents continue to stay and indications are that the province will record cases throughout the year, starting from ones and twos in March, April, May, June, July and then rise in August, September and October and fall in November.

The health department is responsible for case detection and treatment but has very little or no role in prevention of the disease.

Experts said that the solution to the chronic public health issue lied in coordinated efforts to ensure availability of water, electricity and cleanliness that will lead to reduction in population of mosquitoes.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2025