ANOTHER dengue outbreak looms over the country for reasons of lack of preparedness and negligence. This month’s caseload of the disease continues to surge in KP, with 51 new incidents reported on Sunday. The provincial tally now stands at 4,856. October is the time of year when dengue hits its highest point. According to a report by IDRS at the Directorate General Health Services of KP, as many as 2,244 cases were recorded in the current month. The maximum number of infections was in Kohat: out of a total of 2,822 cases as many as 1,230 form this month’s tally. Not only do these figures lay bare the systemic rot in the health infrastructure, but KP’s virus burden has set the alarm bells ringing in the rest of the country. Last year, the Sindh High Court reprimanded senior health officials for gross incompetence as procurement disputes led to a scarcity of testing kits and it took public fury for fumigation drives to start. Despite cooler weather, Punjab’s hospitals too were inundated with patients. Meanwhile, our underreporting levels are shocking. Most patients either opt for home isolation or go to private clinics and laboratories. This excludes them from official data, rendering the government’s response haphazard and reactive.

In unpredictable climate conditions, official lethargy cannot persist. High humidity and unexpectedly warm temperatures mean a prolonged breeding season for mosquitoes. Moreover, heavy rains and broken drainage only exacerbate the crisis. Additionally, the fact that patients take longer to recover indicates that a more lethal and resistant strain is among us. The authorities must ensure transparent and updated data, prompt management, and most importantly, advance prevention mechanisms. Citizens should not face preventable misery. Cohesive surveillance systems that cover private facilities, testing kits, and adequate knowledge about ever-evolving viral strains are overdue. What was once mild seasonal discomfort has morphed into an all-year public health emergency due to institutional apathy.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2026