29 September 2013 – An outbreak of dengue fever has been reported in Swat district of Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KPK) province in Pakistan. As of 25 September 2013, a total of 6376 suspected cases, including 23 deaths (case–fatality rate 0.36%), were reported from this district since 7 August 2013. Laboratory test performed at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, Pakistan, confirmed the diagnosis and detected three sero types of dengue fever (DEN-1, DEN-2 and DEN-3) as the causative strain of this current outbreak.
Dengue fever is endemic in Pakistan with seasonal rise in cases. However, recently, the transmission of dengue fever has intensified in the country with increased incidence and geographic expansion. Apart from the KPK province, sporadic cases have also been reported from the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan.
Table 1. Denge fever cases reported from Pakistan, 2009–2011
| Year | Suspected cases | Cases laboratory-confirmed | Deaths |
| 2006 | 4961 | 1931 | 41 |
| 2007 | 2304 | 1226 | 18 |
| 2008 | 2792 | 2469 | 17 |
| 2009 | 1940 | 1085 | 13 |
| 2010 | 15 901 | 11 024 | 40 |
| 2011 | 252 935 | 17 057 | 219 |
The district administration of Swat, with support from WHO, has scaled up response activities to prevent further spread of dengue fever, including public awareness-raising campaigns for risk mitigation, strengthening surveillance and general preventive measures, improving clinical management of patients and implementing targeted vector control activities. A dengue task force set up by the district administration is coordinating the response activities.
With respect to this event, WHO does not advise any travel or trade restriction to be applied to Swat district of the KPK province or to the country.
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