At the tail-end: Karachi dengue toll hits double digits

Total number of cases in Sindh is 806 out of which the majority, or 609, were reported from Karachi, with 12 dead.


Express October 25, 2011

KARACHI:


The toll from dengue in the city climbed into the double digits on Tuesday after the death of 18-year-old Muhammad Javed.


The resident of Mir Par was admitted on October 22 but died the same day. Official confirmation of his death from dengue was made available by the government’s Dengue Surveillance Cell on Tuesday. With the inclusion of Javed, the total toll in the province is now 12.

The total number of cases in Sindh is 806 out of which the majority, or 609, were reported from Karachi and 197 from other parts of the province.

Separately, the newly appointed chair of the infection control committee at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Dr Afia Zafar, held a session on dengue awareness for journalists on Tuesday. According to Zafar, the vector-borne disease which has taken nine lives in the city is now at its “tail-end”.

Speaking of strict measures implemented by the government of Singapore to control the spread of dengue she said, “Fumigation was not only focused on the roads and streets but also inside the homes.” She explained that officials would consistently test water reservoirs and even home aquariums for breeding larvae. Households found with larvae were heavily fined.

Zafar warned of complicated and bad planning in the water supply and drainage systems as being another serious cause for concern. “Another issue is that many people come in with multiple illnesses such as dengue and typhoid,” she said. While co-infections may be common it should not delay diagnosis and treatment.

When treating dengue, Zafar advises refraining from certain medication, including aspirin, Brufen and Ponstan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2011.

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