Dengue virus: First death of 2018 in Karachi reported

80-year-old woman died of the viral disease at Jinnah hospital

KARACHI: The first death of 2018 from dengue in Karachi was reported at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Tuesday night where an 80-year-old woman succumbed to the deadly virus.

The deceased, Akraman Mai, was a resident of Surjani Town. She was admitted to JPMC a few days ago where she was diagnosed with dengue.

According to JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali, the elderly woman was suffering from multiple diseases. However, she died of complications resulting from dengue.

Dr Abdul Rasheed Sheikh, programme manager of the Prevention and Control Programme of Dengue in Sindh, did not confirm the death due to dengue. According to thim, the dengue control programme had not received any report from the JPMC administration so far.



"In 2017, a total of 12 people, including eight males and four females, died of dengue fever in Karachi," Dr Sheikh said, adding that seven of the deceased, however, were also suffering from other diseases besides dengue.

2018 cases

As many as 10 dengue cases have been reported across Karachi during the recent week, raising the number of reported cases to 216 in the city since January 1, 2018.

According to the weekly report issued by the dengue control programme, at least 10 new dengue cases have appeared in the city in a week, while no case was reported from other parts of Sindh.

In 2018, a total of 229 dengue cases have so far been reported across Sindh, of which 216 were reported in Karachi and 13 from the rest of province.