02 October 2019 – The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination (MNHSR&C) of Pakistan reported 966 laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue with 01 associated death (CFR 0.1%) from all the provinces and Azad Jamu and Kashmir except for Gilgit-Baltistan. These cases were reported in just 24 hours on 1 Oct 2019. The maximum number from reporting districts were Islamabad (ICT) (396), Rawalpindi (154), Peshawar (45), Karachi (106) and Muzaffarabad (108). Only one death was reported from Karachi. Since the beginning of January 2019 a cumulative total of 19 296 laboratory confirmed cases and 33 associated deaths (CFR 0.17%) has been reported from all over the country. The district reporting dengue cases include: Islamabad (ICT), Muzaffarabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Khyber, Bajour, Swat, Haripur, Mansehra, Mardan, Battagram, Dir Lower and Shangla, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Chakwal and Lasbela.

The federal ministry and provincial health departments with the support of WHO and other partners are responding to control and limit the spread of this outbreak. At the federal level, an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has been activated and is monitoring the disease situation on a daily basis. Standard guidelines for case management were shared and formal as well as informal trainings are being conducted. The private health sector is also involved and has allocated designated beds/wards for dengue case management. Extensive social mobilization, community engagement and vector control activities are being undertaken in all the affected and neighboring areas with the involvement of relevant line departments and stakeholders.

WHO continues to provide leadership and supports the health authorities and partners in activities to mitigate the outbreak. WHO and the MNHSR&C continue to monitor outbreak trends and promptly investigate and respond to all alerts.