August 14, 2008	Thursday	Sha'aban 11, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 13: Two patients believed to be suffering from dengue fever have died during the last 24 hours at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and the Civil Hospital Karachi, said health officials on Wednesday.

The two patients were among the 94 admitted to various public and private sector hospitals during the last one month with symptoms of dengue.

Mohammad Saleem, 49, a resident of Malir, died at the JPMC while a dengue test report was awaited. In the case of the other dead, Saeed Khan, 85, it was stated that he was tested negative for dengue fever, but was administered at least two mega platelet units in the wake of critically reduced count of the blood component.

Earlier, in a span of a month till July 24, a man and a woman tested positive for dengue fever had died at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Talking to Dawn on Wednesday night, the focal person of the dengue monitoring cell of the Sindh health department, Dr Shakil A. Mullick, said he had received information from the JPMC and the CHK that the two patients suspected to be suffering from dengue shock syndrome had died late on Tuesday evening.

In reply to a question, he said one of the victims showing symptoms similar to that of dengue fever or viral hemorrhagic fever was tested negative for dengue, perhaps because the fever was at its nascent stage at the time of the test.

The monitoring cell was reactivated in the end of July by the provincial health minister to ensure a better surveillance of the disease and mechanism to effectively handle the situation arising out of the mosquito-borne diseases.

Dr Mullick said the cell was receiving reports about admitted VHF and dengue fever cases from about 14 public and private hospitals. He said the hospitals had reported admission of about 94 VHF suspected patients, of whom 38 had been tested positive for dengue fever.

Maintaining that efforts were being made to make more hospitals in the city to report immediately to the monitoring cell about the admissions or tests of dengue suspects, Dr Mullick said hospital should voluntarily inform provincial or district health authorities across the province about the cases of infectious diseases.