Kabul [Afghanistan], November 20 : The World Health Organisation on Tuesday (local time) reported a significant rise in suspected dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan, with more than 1,000 cases recorded in November, The Khaama Press reported.
According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation, the number of suspected dengue fever cases in Nangarhar province increased significantly over the past month.
Despite the surge in dengue, the WHO reported that no deaths have been reported linked to the disease as of now. The organisation is continuing to monitor the situation closely in the region.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, Dengue has gripped large parts of Punjab, especially the southern belt, while internal accounts suggest that fatalities caused by the virus are taking place but are allegedly being kept off the books by the provincial health machinery. Several insiders claim that authorities are intentionally downplaying the true scale of the outbreak through underreporting, as reported by Dawn.
According to Dawn, Multan and Faisalabad are reportedly facing the most alarming situation. The sharp rise in infections there has contradicted the health department's earlier claims that dengue was "fully under control."
Medical workers in South Punjab confirm that the number of dengue-positive patients has multiplied nearly tenfold in recent weeks.
Doctors and senior public-health experts allege that numerous dengue-related deaths have occurred in Multan's major government hospitals. However, officials responsible for reporting these fatalities were allegedly instructed not to log them onto the dengue dashboard. A health specialist stated that district commissioners and CEOs of district health authorities are exerting pressure on field officers to conceal both deaths and rising positivity figures.
Referring to the recent case of a young guard, Mohammad Imran, experts claim the diagnostic process was deliberately delayed.
The NS1 test, crucial within the initial days of fever, was sent for analysis on the ninth day, ensuring a likely negative result. WHO guidelines state that NS1 sensitivity drops sharply after a week, meaning a negative report cannot rule out dengue. Other tests later confirmed Imran as dengue-positive.