Five dengue deaths in 10 days
Dr Mullick says that 57 patients are being treated for dengue in Karachi, of which 27 were admitted on Thursday.
KARACHI:
Twenty-two-year-old Rustam died of dengue fever at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital on Thursday, bringing the total number of dengue-related deaths in Karachi to five in the past 10 days.
Sindh Coordinator Dengue Surveillance Cell Dr Shakil Mullick said that the deceased was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday. Rustam was a resident of Qasba Colony in Orangi Town.
Dr Mullick said that 57 patients are being treated for dengue in Karachi, of which 27 were admitted on Thursday. This year, 473 suspected cases of dengue virus were reported to the cell of which 380 were found to be positive.
Doctors fear dengue cases are terribly underreported and it is estimated that the actual number of people suffering from the fever is much higher.
Meanwhile, a lack of funds is making it very difficult for the healthcare facilities being run by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to get dengue diagnostic kits and mega-platelet (blood component) bags, which are essential for treating dengue patients, said Special Secretary for Health Dr Abdul Majid on Thursday.
“We have no budget to handle dengue cases under the current year’s budget,” he said.
Despite money constraints, the health department has acted upon the health minister’s instructions and has not turned down any dengue patient who has come to the CDGK hospitals for treatment. They might not be able to continue with this, however, if the number of cases continues to rise, said Dr Majid.
He said the health department had submitted a summary asking for Rs100 million to get medical equipment including blood transfusion facilities. “We are waiting for a favourable response,” he added.
Even though the department has not heard from the government on its earlier summary, they forwarded another one for Rs20 million so they could get diagnostic kits and platelet bags needed for dengue treatment.
Patients at Civil Hospital Karachi and the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital are being treated with kits left over from last year, said the secretary.
Other people who died of dengue include Rehan, 21, who died on September 21 in Patel Hospital, Faheem, 24, who expired on September 23 in Mamji Hospital, Khadija, 86, and Adeeb, 24, who both died on September 28 in Liaqat National Hospital.
Dr Majid said that 29 more patients were admitted in hospitals during the last 24 hours. Of them, two were admitted in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, two each in Aga Khan Hospital, Anklesaria Hospital, Ziauddin Hospital, NIBD, five in Civil Hospital Karachi, three in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, one in OMI and five in Qatar hospital.
Polio cases
Earlier addressing a press briefing, Dr Majid said that the number of polio cases has risen to five in Sindh, with one each from Karachi and Khairpur and three from Ghotki. The latest reported case is of six-month-old Maqsood from Ghotki.
Dr Majid also shared details of steps being taken by the Sindh health department to implement the Anti Tobacco Ordinance 2002.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2010.
Twenty-two-year-old Rustam died of dengue fever at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital on Thursday, bringing the total number of dengue-related deaths in Karachi to five in the past 10 days.
Sindh Coordinator Dengue Surveillance Cell Dr Shakil Mullick said that the deceased was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday. Rustam was a resident of Qasba Colony in Orangi Town.
Dr Mullick said that 57 patients are being treated for dengue in Karachi, of which 27 were admitted on Thursday. This year, 473 suspected cases of dengue virus were reported to the cell of which 380 were found to be positive.
Doctors fear dengue cases are terribly underreported and it is estimated that the actual number of people suffering from the fever is much higher.
Meanwhile, a lack of funds is making it very difficult for the healthcare facilities being run by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to get dengue diagnostic kits and mega-platelet (blood component) bags, which are essential for treating dengue patients, said Special Secretary for Health Dr Abdul Majid on Thursday.
“We have no budget to handle dengue cases under the current year’s budget,” he said.
Despite money constraints, the health department has acted upon the health minister’s instructions and has not turned down any dengue patient who has come to the CDGK hospitals for treatment. They might not be able to continue with this, however, if the number of cases continues to rise, said Dr Majid.
He said the health department had submitted a summary asking for Rs100 million to get medical equipment including blood transfusion facilities. “We are waiting for a favourable response,” he added.
Even though the department has not heard from the government on its earlier summary, they forwarded another one for Rs20 million so they could get diagnostic kits and platelet bags needed for dengue treatment.
Patients at Civil Hospital Karachi and the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital are being treated with kits left over from last year, said the secretary.
Other people who died of dengue include Rehan, 21, who died on September 21 in Patel Hospital, Faheem, 24, who expired on September 23 in Mamji Hospital, Khadija, 86, and Adeeb, 24, who both died on September 28 in Liaqat National Hospital.
Dr Majid said that 29 more patients were admitted in hospitals during the last 24 hours. Of them, two were admitted in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, two each in Aga Khan Hospital, Anklesaria Hospital, Ziauddin Hospital, NIBD, five in Civil Hospital Karachi, three in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, one in OMI and five in Qatar hospital.
Polio cases
Earlier addressing a press briefing, Dr Majid said that the number of polio cases has risen to five in Sindh, with one each from Karachi and Khairpur and three from Ghotki. The latest reported case is of six-month-old Maqsood from Ghotki.
Dr Majid also shared details of steps being taken by the Sindh health department to implement the Anti Tobacco Ordinance 2002.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2010.