SHORTAGE of funds and lack of cohesion between the Karachi administration and the Sindh government has raised concerns about the effectiveness of dengue control efforts in the city.

As reported in this paper, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has failed to carry out citywide fumigation to neutralise the mosquitoes that transmit dengue, while the administration has also failed to keep an eye on tyre shops. Such establishments are known breeding grounds of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, as is fresh water.

Know more: Dengue outbreak looms large for want of cleanliness, full-scale fumigation drive in city

The authorities cannot afford to be complacent as there were over 30 dengue-related deaths in Sindh last year, while over 6,000 people tested positive for the ailment, the vast majority of them in Karachi. Apart from the dengue threat, the metropolis has also witnessed at least eight deaths caused by Naegleria fowleri, more commonly known as the ‘brain-eating amoeba’, over the past three months. The dangerous amoeba, found in warm, fresh water, usually proves fatal if water containing it enters the nasal cavity.

What is needed from the provincial and civic authorities is a robust response to both of these public health threats. In the case of dengue, the methods successfully employed by the Punjab government can be replicated. After all, while a few dengue cases have been detected in Punjab this year, the number of dengue victims is nowhere near the levels of previous years, which saw a high number of fatalities.

This is mainly because the Punjab administration has been carrying out a proactive vector-control campaign while doctors in the province are also now better trained to effectively treat dengue. The Sindh authorities need to launch an effective campaign against dengue now, before the threat balloons. Where Naegleria fowleri is concerned, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board needs to ensure proper chlorination of water, as this can neutralise the threat.

One figure suggests up to 40pc of Karachi’s water is not properly chlorinated. Equally important are awareness campaigns in the media advising citizens about precautions to take against dengue and the hazardous amoeba.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2014