2 patients die of dengue

Two persons suffering from dengue fever die in Liaquat National Hospital, bringing total death toll from virus to 4.

KARACHI: Two persons suffering from dengue fever died in Liaquat National Hospital on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll from the virus to four.

The patients were identified as Khadija, 86, and 24-year-old Umeeb.

According to information obtained from the Sindh health department, the total number of cases for dengue stands at 457. All these patients were admitted to hospitals across the city. Of these, 294 patients tested positive for the virus while 163 were negative, however, whether or not any of these patients required mega platelets has not been confirmed.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Shakeel Aamir Mullick, the additional medical superintendent at the Civil Hospital Karachi said that they fear that the number of dengue patients will rise to match last year’s high figures, which was around 2,500 patients.

The government says a large number of cases have gone unreported this year as initially private hospitals were not sharing their data.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2010.