Dengue Fever Cases Surge in Nangarhar: WHO Calls for Urgent Action

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that suspected cases of dengue fever in Nangarhar province have significantly increased in November, surpassing 1,000 cases…

8 percent increase and active virus circulation

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a significant increase in suspected cases of dengue fever in Nangarhar province during the current Christian month (November) based on a new report.
According to the organization’s statistics, over 1,000 suspected cases of dengue fever were registered in November, showing an increase of nearly 8 percent compared to the previous month. Despite this rise in cases, the World Health Organization emphasized that fortunately, no deaths caused by this disease have been reported in Nangarhar.
This organization, referring to the results of tests, called the level of the virus activity in the region alarming. Out of 1,096 samples taken from patients and tested, 685 samples were found to be infected with the dengue virus. This means that out of every 10 people tested, about 6 had positive results, indicating active and widespread circulation of the virus in the eastern part of the country.

Disease in six provinces and patient characteristics

Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by a striped mosquito known as the Aedes mosquito.
Based on WHO statistics, a total of 4,384 suspected cases of dengue fever have been registered from six provinces of Afghanistan since the beginning of 2025. These provinces include Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Kabul, Ghazni, and Paktia.
Regarding the characteristics of patients registered in November, the report indicates that 41.6 percent of those infected were women, and about 98 percent of them were over five years old.

WHO call for immediate action

In the conclusion of its report, the World Health Organization has warned that the increase in cases in recent months requires immediate and preventive actions. This agency has called for: stronger monitoring of disease outbreaks, strengthening rapid response teams to control new cases, and increasing public awareness among residents to prevent further spread of the disease.