n the morning of September 11, Manzoor Ali’s family faced an unimaginable tragedy. His 65-year-old mother, a diabetic and cardiac patient, suddenly took a turn for the worse. “Her oxygen saturation started dropping. We were terrified,” he recalled. “She had been stable despite her chronic conditions. The sudden deterioration shook us.”
The family rushed her to Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar. After an initial assessment and blood sampling, she was diagnosed with dengue fever. “We didn’t expect this diagnosis. It was too late in the year,” said Manzoor, his voice heavy with grief. She passed away the next day.
Following her death, the Dengue Control Programme team from the Directorate General of Health Services visited Manzoor’s residence. During their inspection, they discovered mosquito larvae in hen pots kept in the courtyard. “We found a high concentration of active larvae in multiple containers. The breeding had reached a dangerous stage and posed a serious risk to the surrounding community,” a team member said. The team destroyed the larvae and fumigated the surrounding 30 houses.
Manzoor’s story is one among thousands across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where dengue fever continues to pose a serious public health threat. In 2024 alone, the province recorded 5,504 confirmed dengue cases. Though only 13 cases have been reported in 2025 so far, the provincial government remains on high alert, especially with the monsoon season approaching.
“Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito,” said Salahuddin Marwat, the senior entomologist at the Health Department, in an interview with The News on Sunday. “There are four serotypes—DEN-1 to DEN-4. Primary infection with one serotype can produce lifelong immunity, but a secondary infection with another serotype can result in a life-threatening situation. A person can contract dengue multiple times.”
Early signs and symptoms include high fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and skin rashes. In the absence of timely case management and treatment, the disease can develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, which are fatal.
The most affected districts in the KP are Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Haripur, Mansehra, Malakand and Khyber. The mosquito is thriving in urban centres where stagnant water, crowding and poor sanitation are common. “Rainwater collects in open containers and garbage dumps. Frequent load shedding and unreliable water supply force people to store water in uncovered containers. These become ideal breeding grounds for the mosquito,” Marwat added.
This year the Directorate General of Health Services, under its Dengue Control Programme, has ramped up vector surveillance and community mobilisation efforts.
From January to May 2025, field teams inspected over 990,000 houses and more than 4 million water containers as part of indoor surveillance (IDVLS), identifying 40 houses and 63 water containers harbouring dengue larvae.
Rapid urbanisation and changing rainfall patterns are creating new mosquito habitats. “Dengue is no longer seasonal, it’s becoming endemic.”
Outdoor surveillance teams inspected 92,581 sites such as construction areas, junkyards, and parks, detecting 136 positive locations, a crucial step in preventing wider outbreaks.
The inspection campaigns are being supported by community outreach through the Communication for Awareness Sessions (CAS). From January to May 2025,
20,799 awareness sessions were held. Over 138,000 men and 205,000 women participated in these sessions. Besides 84 seminars and awareness walks were organised across the high-prevalence districts and more than 38,000 brochures and pamphlets were distributed to raise public awareness.
“The numbers shows our proactive efforts,” said Ajmal Khan, the Provincial Medical Entomologist. “But dengue control is not a responsibility of the Health Department alone. Public engagement is the backbone of prevention.”
Ajmal emphasised the community’s role in controlling the spread of dengue. “Cleaning water containers, using mosquito repellents, wearing protective clothing and covering stored water can make a huge difference.”
In some districts, such as Malakand and Nowshera, youth groups and volunteers have stepped up to organise door-to-door awareness drives, demonstrating simple practices like checking flower pots and water tanks for larvae.
Religious leaders have also joined the effort. “We now encourage imams to include dengue awareness in their Friday sermons,” said Maulana Taiab Qurashi, the Chief Khateeb of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Cleanliness is a part of our faith; preventing disease is our moral responsibility.”
Fighting dengue requires a multi-sectoral approach. The Health Department, local governments, Water and Sanitation Agencies and Disaster Management Authority are coordinating their efforts.
Larval surveillance and fumigation continue in dengue hotspot and the WSSP has intensified garbage collection and drainage maintenance in high-risk zones.
The local governments are ensuring timely waste disposal and monitoring of public spaces.
Experts warn that climate change is amplifying the threat. “Erratic weather, warmer temperatures and more days of monsoon rains are expanding the Aedes mosquito’s range into northern districts that were previously unaffected,” said Muhammad Ziauddin, a senior environmentalist in KP.
He noted that rapid urbanisation and changing rainfall patterns are creating new mosquito habitats. “The dengue epidemic is no longer seasonal, it’s becoming endemic.”
Dengue in KP is not just a seasonal outbreak, it is an escalating public health crisis. The tragic death of Manzoor Ali’s mother is a stark reminder of the cost of inaction.
“We need to act before it’s too late. This isn’t just the government’s responsibility, it’s everyone’s,” said Manzoor.
As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa braces for another monsoon season, the time for preventive action is now. Through timely intervention, robust coordination and active citizen participation, another wave of suffering and loss can be averted.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Peshawar.
