Disease burden: Six new dengue cases trigger alarm

Sindh dengue surveillance cell chief Dr Kumar says 17 dengue cases were admitted to different hospitals in province.

KARACHI: With six new dengue cases reported in Karachi on Friday, the number of hospitalised dengue patients in the city jumped to 190 so far this year, raising fear of an epidemic.

Sindh health department’s dengue surveillance cell chief Dr Suresh Kumar told PPI that currently 17 dengue cases were admitted to different hospitals across the province, with one patient in Nawabshah, one in Tando Mohammad Khan, two in Naushero Feroze, and the remaining 13 in Karachi.

Isolation wards are only operating at Civil Hospital, Karachi and Qatar Hospital that are run by the provincial government.

CDGK Health EDO Nasir Javed added that Abbasi Shaheed Hospital had one with  40 beds. In a bid to prevent an epidemic, he said that the city has started a fumigation campaign in all 18 towns.

The director-general for health in Sindh, Dr Hafeezul Haq, said that he had issued directives to all teaching hospitals to set up special isolation wards for dengue patients. Blood banks across the province have also been told to gear up. Dengue testing and treatment would be available at all major government hospitals free of cost. He warned of stern action against all medical superintendents if they were found negligent in taking the necessary precautionary measures to eradicate dengue.

Dengue has become a regular feature of the disease burden in our country, particularly Karachi, remarked the former secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association, Dr Habib-ur Rehman Soomro. He put it down to a failure of the administration to take long-term steps.

He said that dengue eradication needs a long-term strategy, mainly based on raising awareness about the viral diseases among people, as the government alone could not overcome the issue alone.

Dengue could be eradicated if we ended breeding grounds. This is the responsibility of the municipal authorities who must improve sanitary conditions and show zero tolerance against accumulated rainwater or stagnant gutter water on roads and streets. Karachi also needs proper garbage disposal.

Dow University of Health Sciences’ Dr Farhan Essa said initial symptoms of dengue include high fever and body pain. Patients with these symptoms should be immediately referred to a qualified doctor or the nearest healthcare facility.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th,  2011.