GWADAR: At least 14 patients suffering from the dengue virus have lost their lives in Turbat, while over 5,000 have been diagnosed with the disease in Kech district of Makran division during the current year.

“As many as 14 people died of dengue in Turbat alone, the district headquarters of Kech district, during the last two months,” confirmed Dr Abu-Bakar, district health officer of Kech, to Dawn on Friday. He added that during the current year, 24,552 people came for screening, and out of them, 5,329 were found positive for dengue.

He mentioned that the deaths due to dengue occurred in different villages of Turbat.

Despite the deaths and the detection of dengue virus in several thousand people, the health department has not imposed an emergency in Kech district and not provided proper treatment facilities for patients.

“Most patients face difficulties due to the lack of proper testing and laboratory facilities in government and private hospitals in the district,” a patient, Mubarak Baloch, told Dawn.

“I have been suffering from the dengue virus for the last week and have received no proper treatment, while I don’t have resources to go to Karachi for treatment.”

Another resident of Turbat, Master Azad Baloch, said he was horrified to receive a platelets test report from a private hospital, but when he went for a test to another hospital in Turbat, he received a different report, which was satisfactory.

Dengue virus cases were also reported from the port city of Gwadar and Panjgur district.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2024