KARACHI: Data released by the Sindh health department showed a spike in dengue fever cases as their numbers doubled in just two days, from 201 cases on Wednesday to 403 cases on Friday.

Majority of these cases were reported at hospitals located in district East (116) followed by healthcare facilities in Korangi (107), Central (72), South (61), Malir (26), West (12) and Keamari (nine).

A total of 2,145 cases of dengue fever cases were reported in Karachi this month; East (842) followed by healthcare facilities in (431), South (377), Korangi (286), Malir (93), Keamari (64) and West (52).

In the rest of Sindh, 16 cases were reported in Hyderabad division, one in Larkana division, two in Sukkur division and four in Shaheed Benazirabad division.

A health department official explained that most dengue patients had mild illness and they either reported at private clinics or outpatient departments of hospitals.

“But, hospitals do not maintain proper records of their OPD patients while family physicians as well as city’s laboratories under the currently adopted protocol are not required to share their data. Hence, the official figures don’t reflect the ground reality as only severe dengue cases require admission,” the official said.

Experts believe the current number of dengue fever cases might be five times higher than what is being reported by the health department.

Meanwhile, the health department reported over 3,000 cases of malaria on Friday.

Most of them were recorded in Hyderabad, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan, Dadu, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Mirpurkhas.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2022