Monsoons bring rain, which in turn bring floods and stagnant water. This in turn leads to lots of mosquitoes and the mosquitoes bring disease. This is about as close to an iron rule as one can get in Pakistan: monsoon season brings dengue and malaria season. This is particularly true when it comes to Sindh and Karachi. On Sunday, the Sindh Health Department released its latest report on confirmed dengue cases across the province, revealing that 439 new cases had so far been reported in October. Karachi is the most affected division, with 188 cases reported, followed by Hyderabad with 154 cases. However, some reports have claimed that government data is downplaying the extent of the dengue crisis. At Civil Hospital Karachi alone, around 3,000 tests were conducted during the first 10 days of October, of which 355 were confirmed positive. More recently on October 26, the Hyderabad commissioner reportedly said that 30 dengue hotspots have been identified in the Hyderabad Division and that 1,258 dengue tests have yielded 587 positive cases. If the numbers being reported from Karachi and Hyderabad are true, it is hard to see how they match up with the provincial government’s numbers. The fact that the numbers from different authorities do not add up is almost as alarming for public health as the spread of dengue itself.
Regardless of who is right, however, one thing remains clear: dengue remains a threat to hundreds in urban areas with far too many people. Just as it does during the rains, the shoddy infrastructure and poor waste management of the urban areas fuels a crisis that can be mitigated if not avoided. For years, experts have pointed to factors like stagnant water, poor sanitation in residential areas and inadequate public awareness about preventive measures fueling dengue cases. But little seems to happen in the way of actually fixing these issues. Instead, what we see is more hospital beds, fumigation efforts, dengue units and tests. While these measures are important, they are reactive and only deal with the symptoms of the problem. Sound familiar?
Whether its natural or public health disasters, the response to every crisis in the country shares the same features. A problem is addressed only after it emerges and only on an immediate basis. Once the immediate crisis is over, the deeper structural issues are left unaddressed, allowing the problem to resurface at the same time every year. As a result, the country’s people suffer unnecessarily and will continue to do so until the approach to disaster or crisis management changes. We have to start dealing with the long-term issues. In the case of dengue, we need better waste management, year-round fumigation as opposed to fumigation when the outbreak starts, proper sanitation in all residential areas and drains cleared of garbage so that they do not choke and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Editorial Published in The NEWS on October 31, 2025.
