PESHAWAR, October 7, 2025 — The Health Department has ordered a series of urgent, elaborate measures to prevent a potential Chikungunya outbreak in Peshawar after reports of a rising number of suspected cases in local communities.
The directives, issued to the District Health Officer (DHO), aim to curb the spread of the mosquito-borne ailment, which is often misdiagnosed as dengue.
Key Preventive Measures Ordered
The comprehensive action plan focuses on immediate preparedness and vector control to halt the transmission cycle of the Aedes mosquitoes, which spread the virus. The key steps ordered by the Director-General Health include:
- Establishment of a District Control Room: A dedicated control room with designated staff is to be set up immediately to manage and coordinate the outbreak response.
- Isolation Wards and Medicine Stockpiling: Hospitals in high-risk areas have been directed to establish isolation wards and ensure the adequate stockpiling of essential medicines for the symptomatic treatment of patients.
- Enhanced Surveillance: The Public Health Reference Laboratory (PHRL) has begun collecting and testing samples from suspected patients. Officials reported that 21 samples have been collected, with results expected in 24 hours. The DHO must maintain an updated line list of cases and ensure daily data is promptly entered into the system.
- Mosquito Breeding Site Elimination: Officials have been instructed to strengthen larval source management and mechanically eliminate mosquito breeding sites in affected communities.
- Community Engagement: Awareness campaigns promoting vector prevention and control measures are to be intensified across the district.
These measures come as officials note the current period is a “hyper active season of mosquitoes,” making immediate preventative action imperative to interrupt further transmission of the disease.
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