Dengue rears its head yet again in Pakistan, and lest we forget, it is a recurring phenomenon. The disease peaks during the monsoon, spreads through crowded cities, and strains hospitals that struggle to keep pace with the emergencies. Reports show sharp increases across the country, especially in Karachi, where more than two hundred and sixty cases were noted by mid-year, according to MMI. November brought over one thousand new cases in a single day, and the national toll crossed twelve thousand by the end of the month, according to Xinhua. The trend worsened as BOL News reported an alarming acceleration in Karachi, where two more people died within twenty-four hours and eight hundred twenty-nine new cases were confirmed across Sindh BOL News. These deaths included a 40-year-old woman from Karachi and a 13-year-old boy from Hyderabad. Sindh has now recorded fourteen thousand four hundred 68 cases this year. The rise in young fatalities echoes concerns highlighted in updates by the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) weekly report. These figures show how dengue has become a yearly stress test for Pakistan.

Dengue spreads through the Aedes mosquito, which thrives in warm and wet environments. It has the habit of laying eggs mostly in small pools of stagnant water, such as open tanks and rooftop containers. Dense cities like Karachi and Lahore provide ideal conditions, as drains in the cities remain blocked and are also not cleaned up from time to time. Heavy rains create waterlogged streets and empty plots where larvae multiply fast. Climate conditions worsen the situation because high temperatures speed up breeding. Weather alerts by the Pakistan Meteorological Department warn that erratic rainfall can extend breeding seasons. Health advisories by the Ministry of National Health Services advise that neighbourhoods with waste accumulation face constant exposure because the mosquito population never fully drops, even in dry months.

The public health system faces serious challenges during each outbreak. Surveillance remains slow, and early warnings are rare. The hospitals in surge scenarios are swamped with volume procedures arising so fast that supplies of the available kits for........

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