Abstract
Dengue fever is one of the significant health issues throughout the world, especially in tropical and subtropical territories. The cause of dengue fever is the dengue virus, which is a single-stranded RNA virus that is part of Flaviviridaeviruses family and has four distinct serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. Dengue virus is spread to humans by the bite of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Clinically dengue fever symptoms range from mild (headache, nausea, vomited, pain in muscles and bones) to severe form such as dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Since 1994 Pakistan has suffered from dengue endemic. Nevertheless, since 2006, the world has faced the worst dengue attack situation in which the disease has infected thousands of people and hundreds of people have been killed. DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-1 are most predominant serotypes in Pakistan.Popular diagnostic techniques being used in Pakistan are Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction and rapid diagnostic tests, during differential diagnosis. Critical issues with dengue diagnosis include shortcomings in screening tests and a weak healthcare system. The major factors responsible for dengue epidemics in Pakistan are favourable climatic conditions, unplanned urbanisation, population growth, commuting and many socioeconomic factors etc. This chapter offers updates on Pakistan’s dengue epidemic and explains how to strengthen the region against dengue virus.
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Ahmed, A., Khan, G.M. (2021). Dengue Fever Epidemic in Pakistan and Its Control Measures: Where Are We Moving?. In: Ahmad, S.I. (eds) Human Viruses: Diseases, Treatments and Vaccines . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71165-8_3
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