UMERKOT: At least eight cases of the deadly dengue fever were reported in Umerkot district of Sindh province on Tuesday raising fears of an uncontrollable dengue outbreak.

The Pathological laboratory annexed to Umerkot Civil Hospital confirmed the deadly virus in a 28-year-old woman while seven other cases were confirmed from private laboratories

All the cases were reported within 24 hours in the Umerkot city of the district while residents of the area are complaining about lack of facilities in the hospital and the facility's refusal to treat patients in isolation.

Sardaro father of Indra, while talking to Dawn said that his daughter was tested positive with the virus at the Umerkot Pathological Laboratory and added that other family members are also complaining of high fever.

"We have been treating our ill at home and using traditional methods to cure them, my daughter was tested positive while I fear the same for other members of our family whose tests are yet to be conducted," said Sardaro.

Jalal Bajeer, a dengue victim was of the view that despite the alarming spread of dengue, health department has failed even initiate a fumigation drive in order to kill the Aedes mosquito larvae.

A private physician Dr Godhran told Dawn that people of the area are visiting quacks for treatment and unregistered local laboratories for tests as proper medical care is proving a lot expensive for them to afford.

Deputy Commissioner Umerkot has called an emergency meeting last night attended by town officers officials of health department and Malaria control program.

The commissioner directed to start a fumigation drive in all talukas of the district.

Also Read Sindh dengue programme in a shambles for want of funds

Official figures show that dengue fever’s first incidence in the province emerged in Karachi 1994 when 145 confirmed cases were recorded and one death was confirmed.

Since then the disease hibernated until 2005 when the authorities recorded 258 cases out of which 16 died. The year 2006 was the deadliest year in which 49 out of 1,500 patients died.In the next two years 20 people died out of 931 confirmed cases. Since 2009, 94 people have died out of more than 12,000 confirmed cases.