The dengue mosquito has had a hold on Pakistan since 2007, and hundreds of deaths were caused by the fever in the first year, with the highest number of cases recorded in Punjab. In the following years, thanks to the measures taken by the Shahbaz Sharif government, it was controlled to a large extent, but during that time, it had taken hold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

Now, thousands of people across the country have been suffering from it for the last four to five years. Dengue fever usually spreads in Pakistan from September to December, and the mosquitoes that cause it mostly breed in clean water. The World Health Organisation has revealed that since last year, this fever has been seen spreading in the form of an epidemic, and so far, the highest number of cases have been reported in the United States.

Many countries have also launched an emergency response but have failed to control the disease. With the way the climate is changing, it is estimated that dengue may become a global epidemic this year, resulting in more than 5.5 million cases. Due to the recent abnormal monsoon in Pakistan, its growth seems to be taking place prematurely in the stagnant rainwater.

After Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative responsibilities are going to be assigned to caretaker governments in other provinces soon. In the presence of which the increase in dengue cases may affect their election preparations and arrangements.

It is the right time to root out its larvae by adopting an effective strategy of mosquito killer spraying, for which the provincial governments need to take action on a war footing.

MUHAMMAD AMIN,

Kech.