Emergency proclaimed due to worrying increase of dengue infections

RAWALPINDI: The district has been deemed an emergency by the administration due to the concerning increase in dengue cases in the area.

The Deputy Commissioner explained in more detail that emergency dengue counters have been set up all around the district and that precautionary measures are being taken.

As the current strain of the virus is significantly more hazardous than the previous one, he said, mobile teams are in operation to combat the dengue virus.

As dengue and other diseases carried by mosquitoes spread quicker and further due to climate change, the World Health Organization announced a global plan to combat the rising number of cases.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in a statement, “The rapid spread of dengue and other arboviral diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders.”

Just the first eight months of 2024 saw over 12.3 million cases of dengue, including over 7,900 deaths, according to the UN health office. Since 2021, the number of dengue cases reported has roughly doubled annually.

That is nearly twice as many cases as were reported for the entire year 2023—6.5 million cases total.

Based on WHO estimates, dengue infections occur annually in between 100 million and 400 million cases. Although most patients have no symptoms, dengue can cause high fever and body aches.