Peshawar Dengue: Data Gap Fuels Crisis Fears

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department is escalating its fight against dengue as cases climbed to 339 this week, a significant increase from 289 reported previously. Fifty new infections were recorded recently, triggering an intensified response with staff deployed to high-infection areas.

Efforts include eliminating mosquito larvae from over 551 houses, 1,280 containers, and 247 outdoor sites. Additionally, more than 87,000 awareness sessions have been held, training 254,116 female workers to educate households on preventing mosquito breeding and bites.

Peshawar leads with 152 cases, followed by Kohat with 85, highlighting them as main hotspots. Officials state the situation is under control under the Dengue Action Plan 2026, with district committees actively making decisions.

However, a major concern is the poor response from medical teaching institutions (MTIs) in sharing dengue patient data. Despite repeated requests, this lack of coordination, especially from Peshawar's largest hospitals, poses a looming threat of a major health crisis, particularly given Peshawar's decade-long endemicity to the virus.