Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dengue: 1,150 Suspected Cases in One Week, Charsadda 461 and Kohat 243

Short answer: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 1,150 suspected dengue cases in week 39 of 2026, up from 340 the week before, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says. Charsadda sent 461, Kohat 243 and Bannu 188. A meeting chaired by the governor on 17 October put the province's count for the year at 3,771 with two deaths, a figure we could only find in press reports.

We read the NIH week 39 bulletin, published on 16 October 2026, and its district table for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ourselves. The provincial health department's own site had no dengue figures on 19 October, so the year-to-date numbers below are marked as reported. The weekly numbers are suspected cases from clinics, not lab-confirmed ones.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 1,150 suspected dengue cases in week 39, up from 340

The weekly count more than tripled, from 340 in week 38 to 1,150 in week 39. The bulletin lists dengue among the diseases that increased in the province this week, along with flu-like illness, dog bites and typhoid. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa supplied 82 per cent of the 1,397 suspected cases reported across Pakistan.

On the standard week calendar, week 39 runs from 21 to 27 September 2026. So these cases are three weeks old by the time the bulletin appears. That lag is normal for the NIH series. The national picture, including Sindh's lab results and chikungunya, is in the report on Pakistan's week 39 dengue count.

Charsadda, Kohat and Bannu carry 892 of the 1,150 cases

Three districts reported 892 cases, or 78 per cent of the province's total, our arithmetic. Charsadda went from 6 cases in week 38 to 461 in week 39. Kohat went from 81 to 243. Bannu went from 144 to 188. Twenty districts reported at least one suspected case.

The Charsadda jump is the largest single move in the table and the bulletin offers no explanation. Our week 38 figures come from the district table of that bulletin, which only names districts with cases. Swat reported 6, Mardan and Swabi 4 each, and Bajaur and Dera Ismail Khan 3 each in week 39.

The 17 October meeting put the year's count at 3,771, reported

Press reports of a meeting chaired by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on 17 October 2026 said officials briefed him that the province had recorded 3,771 dengue cases and two deaths this year, that Kohat was the worst affected district with 2,319 cases, and that isolation wards with 1,666 beds had been set up across the province. The health adviser and the health secretary attended.

We could not confirm any of those figures on an official page. The provincial health department's site, which we checked on 19 October, carried notifications and tender notices for October but no dengue count. So treat the 3,771 as reported, not verified.

Reports also differ on how the year's cases are counted. On 3 October the province was reported to have 8,905 cases for the year, with 2,175 lab-confirmed, and no deaths, as recorded in the earlier report on dengue in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A count of 3,771 two weeks later makes sense only if it is a confirmed count, and the two deaths are new. We have said so here rather than pick one figure silently.

Where to get tested and treated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Government teaching hospitals run the dengue wards. In Peshawar, Khyber Teaching Hospital's outpatient hours and clinic days are in the guide to Khyber Teaching Hospital OPD timings. Admitted patients with a Sehat Card Plus can be treated under it at empanelled hospitals, and a refused admission can be reported on the Sehat Card Plus helpline 0800 89898.

Get an NS1 antigen test within the first five days of fever. After day five an IgM antibody test is the right one. Prices at private labs are in the guide to the dengue test price. A full blood count every day or two matters more than the dengue test once you are diagnosed, because a falling platelet count and a rising haematocrit are the signs doctors act on.

How to protect your home this week

The Aedes mosquito breeds in clean, still water and bites during the day. The NIH advice is to deny it water. These steps are ours, drawn from the NIH checklist and the WHO fact sheet.

1. Empty, scrub and refill every water container once a week: drums, buckets, coolers, bird bowls and plant saucers.
2. Cover overhead and underground tanks with a tight lid.
3. Clear roofs, gutters and courtyards of tyres, bottles and cans that hold rain.
4. Use a repellent and long sleeves in the morning and late afternoon, when Aedes bites most.
5. Sleep under a net if anyone in the house has a fever, so mosquitoes cannot carry the virus to others.
6. Take paracetamol only for fever, never aspirin or ibuprofen, and go to hospital if bleeding or severe stomach pain appears.

The weekly routine is set out in the NIH home checklist. The signs that mean go to hospital are in dengue warning signs.

Common questions about dengue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

How many dengue cases did Khyber Pakhtunkhwa report in week 39?

1,150 suspected cases, up from 340 in week 38, according to the NIH bulletin of 16 October 2026.

Which district has the most dengue cases?

In week 39, Charsadda with 461, then Kohat with 243 and Bannu with 188. For the year, Kohat is reported as the worst affected district with 2,319 cases, but we could not verify that on an official page.

How many people have died of dengue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year?

Two deaths were reported at the governor's meeting on 17 October 2026. Earlier October reports said none. The NIH weekly bulletin does not list deaths.

Is dengue treatment free in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?

Admission at an empanelled hospital can be covered by the Sehat Card Plus for eligible families. Check your eligibility by SMS before you go, and keep the CNIC of the family head with you.

Are the weekly figures confirmed cases?

No. They are suspected cases reported by clinics. The bulletin prints no lab results for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in its dengue row.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 19 October 2026. The weekly and district counts come from Table 1 and Table 4 of the NIH Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response bulletins for weeks 38 and 39 of 2026, listed on the NIH weekly bulletin page; the week 39 PDF carries a server date of 16 October 2026. Percentages are our arithmetic. The 3,771 cases, two deaths, 2,319 in Kohat and 1,666 beds come from press reports of the governor's meeting of 17 October 2026, which we could not confirm on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department site on 19 October. Home advice follows the WHO dengue fact sheet and the NIH checklist.