KARACHI: Four people, two belonging to Thar and Jamshoro, died of as many lethal diseases — Congo-Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever, Naegleria fowleri, dengue and rabies — in the city’s public and private sector hospitals in the past two days, officials said on Monday.

A 27-year-old man, identified as Wakil Khan, a resident of New Karachi, died at a private hospital on Monday because of the deadly Naegleria infection, generally known as brain-eating amoeba.

Wakil was brought in a critical condition to the hospital a day earlier with high-grade fever and profuse bleeding. He was tested positive for the deadly infection caused by a germ that enters the human body through the nasal cavity and attacks its victim’s brain.

Officials in the Sindh health ministry said it was the 16th such death caused by Naegleria in the province this year.

‘Because of the absence of vaccine for rabies at hospitals in many districts, victims are brought to the JPMC for treatment’

Dengue

Nadir Ali, 32, became another victim of the mosquito-borne dengue in the province as he succumbed to the infection at a private hospital in the city on Monday. He was admitted to the hospital a couple of days ago in a critical condition, officials said.

He was the 32nd victim of the disease in the province, equalling the figure recorded in 2013. However, the largest number of deaths [49] was recorded in 2006.

A total of 11,784 cases have been reported in Sindh this year with a dominant majority of them in Karachi.

CCHF

The provincial health authorities have confirmed the death of Sunil Gautam in a private hospital, who was suffering from Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever.

The 36-year-old man was brought to the hospital from Thar’s Chhachhro town a few days ago in a serious condition where he succumbed to the infection on Sunday.

Officials said more than 40 cases of CCHF had been reported in the province this year; 20 of the victims had died.

Rabies

A teenager from Jamshoro district’s Jewa Khan Goth died of rabies at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre on Sunday.

Officials said Zahoor, 18, son of Manzoor Khan, was brought to the hospital when he was in the grip of full-blown rabies. He was bitten by a rabid dog in his village near Nooriabad around three months ago.

His family took him to a local medical practitioner, but, as Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director of the JPMC, confirmed, he was not administered with an anti-rabies vaccine.

Officials said because of the absence of the vaccine for rabies at hospitals in many districts of Sindh, victims were being brought to the JPMC for treatment.

The Sindh health ministry says some 22 people have died of rabies in the province this year.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2019