KARACHI: 82 suspected VHF cases admitted to hospitals: Four-month tally swells to 837
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Oct 16: Amid city government’s claims of having intensified the fumigation and sanitation drive across the city, patients with febrile illness continued to land in various city hospitals.
The number of such patients visiting major hospitals of the city over the last four months has now risen to 837.
As many as 82 fresh cases of suspected Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (VHF) were reported at six government and private hospitals during the 48 hours till 2pm on Monday.
Since June 14, about 27 per cent (227) of the patients admitted to hospitals have been diagnosed dengue-positive, while the number of those succumbing to the VHF remained at 18.
Talking to Dawn, Additional Secretary Health, Sindh, Capt (r) Abdul Majid, who is also focal person for the Dengue Fever Cell, said on Monday that the last death of a suspected VHF patient had occurred on October 10 at a government hospital. He did not confirm the report about the death on Sunday of a prisoner, brought to the Civil Hospital on Saturday night, from the VHF, maintaining that he had no information confirming that the deceased was a VHF or dengue patient.
Giving details of the 18 recorded fatalities, he said six of the VHF/dengue patient died at the Aga Khan University Hospital, five at the Liaquat National Hospital, four at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, two at the Dr Ziauddin Hospital and one at the Civil Hospital.
He further stated that 110 out of 308 patients were tested dengue-positive at the LNH, followed by 55 out of 159 at the AKUH, 16 out of 75 at the CHK, nine out of 134 at ZH, nine out of 84 at the JPMC, 19 out of 40 at the Bismillah Taqi Hospital and seven out of 35 at the Hamid Hospital.
The National Institute of Child Health has one dengue-positive case. Lab test reports of a large number of patients are yet to be received by the hospitals concerned.
Dr Majid said that in all, 180 patients with suspected VHF were still getting treatment at nine hospitals of the city. In order to provide laboratory test facility to these in-house patients, the Sindh Services Hospital at Karachi will also start collecting blood samples from October 17. A laboratory has been set up for the purpose and will be managed by Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority.
In reply to a question, he said that the number of patients with mosquito-borne diseases had increased after the recent monsoon rains, but keeping in view the figure of 837 admitted to hospitals since June 2006, one could say that the situation was not so alarming. Nevertheless, preventive measures were needed to be taken. He noted that women and children appeared less affected by these diseases so far.
With the arrival of new patients at different hospitals between Saturday afternoon and Monday evening, the number of in-house patients is as under: AKUH: 44 (15 new), CHK: 15 (two new), JPMC: 27 (13 new), LNH: 49 (33 new), ZH: 32 (12 new), BTH: seven (all new), Hamid Hospital: 1 (no new), NICH: 1 (no new) and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital: 5 (no new).
A source in the provincial health department said that the provincial health minister had impressed upon the EDOs of Health and Education to submit fogging/fumigation reports to the Viral Haemorrhagic/Dengue Cell on a daily basis.
In a communication on Monday evening, the AKU said that 42 patients with suspect VHF were admitted, most of them during the last two weeks, to the hospital. The patients had symptoms ranging from bleeding, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc.
EDO Health Dr A. D. Sajnani said that fumigation through spray machine-mounted vehicles continued on Monday covering Korangi and Malir areas in the morning and Jamshed Town areas in the evening. In addition, fumigation in about 227 schools of three towns, including Lyari Town, was carried out.
He said that the patients diagnosed VHF/dengue positive could approach the Bismillah Taqi Hospital, Hussaini Blood Bank or Fatimid Foundation for getting mega packs of platelets at a subsidised rate. The city government has already undertaken to bear half the cost, the full cost of a mega pack being Rs7,000.
KARACHI, Oct 16: Amid city government’s claims of having intensified the fumigation and sanitation drive across the city, patients with febrile illness continued to land in various city hospitals.
