KARACHI: In the wake of an alarming surge in cases of dengue fever in Karachi and other parts of the province, the Sindh government on Wednesday reserved 44 special wards in different hospitals for treatment of the increasing number of patients.

On Wednesday, the Sindh health department said that 323 more people tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease in the province and the number of new cases in Karachi alone was261.

The total number of patients in the city reached to 3,546 during the current month.

The district-wise data shared by the health department stated that of the 261 new cases, 96 people were tested positive in district East, 44 in Central, 25 in Korangi, 73 in South, six in West, 12 in Malir and five in Keamari.

During the last 24 hours, 51 cases of dengue fever were reported from Hyderabad.

‘Alarming situation’

“The situation of dengue cases is alarming,” Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon told a press conference here. “Keeping this in view, the Sindh government has reserved 44 special wards for the treatment of dengue patients in the different hospitals of the province.”

In order to prevent the spread of dengue in the province, he said the Sindh government and district administrations were carrying out anti-mosquito fumigation in different parts of the province so that people could be saved from malaria and dengue fever.

“The Sindh government is taking serious efforts utilising all the available resources for dewatering of stagnant floodwaters. When rainwater would be drained out, the land will get dry, resultantly the mosquitoes will also decrease,” he added.

Twenty-seven people have lost their lives in Karachi alone during the current year due to dengue fever. According to the official data, not a single dengue-related death has been reported from any other district in the province despite recent rains and floods.

It said that the total number of dengue cases during the current year stood at 5,753 in Karachi.

‘Fumigation drive completed’

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) jointly completed the fumigation drive in six of the seven districts of Karachi, adds APP.

The fumigation drive was carried out in districts South, East, West, Keamari, Central and Malir while the campaign was under way in district Korangi, said a SSWMB spokesman on Wednesday.

Measures were being taken to eliminate flies, mosquitoes and dengue virus after the rains, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2022