Dengue fever claims 11th life in city

Karachi

Despite the ongoing cold spell in the city, the dengue hemorrhagic fever claimed another life when a middle-aged man succumbed to the mosquito-borne viral infection at a private hospital, said Dr Masood Solangi, manager of Sindh Dengue Control and Prevention Programme on Monday.

He said Muhammad Azeem, 45, a resident of Jauharabad area of Liaquatabad town, was taken to a private hospital on Saturday with high fever and headache. He was admitted for treatment but he passed away on Sunday.

This is the 11th death due to the dengue hemorrhagic fever in Karachi this year, while more than 3,500 patients have so far been diagnosed with the viral infection in the province. Most of these patients belong to Karachi.

Usually, dengue infection season ends in winter but due to higher daytime temperatures in Karachi and the poor sanitation conditions, accumulation of water on roads and streets and failure by the authorities in carrying out fumigation, dengue cases are still being reported frequently.

The city has been in the grip of dengue viral fever for the past few years and health experts have declared it to be endemic, a health condition that remains in a particular area of the city for years.

In a report released by the Sindh Dengue Control and Prevention Programme last month, it was said that a total of 2,896 dengue fever cases were reported from Sindh province from 1st January till the first week of November, out of which 2,829 were from Karachi.