• PMA alleges lack of political will to ensure sanitation, waste management and fumigation turned cities into breeding sites of mosquitoes
• Over 400 patients currently under treatment in public and private hospitals: health dept
• Officials say over 11,700 cases reported from Sindh this year

KARACHI: As the dengue fever crisis persists with more than 400 patients battling the mosquito-borne viral infection in hospitals across the province, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has called upon the government to immediately declare a health emergency in the most affected divisions of Karachi and Hyderabad and launch effective vector-control measures.

Data released by the provincial health department showed that 11,763 dengue fever cases — 6,199 cases this month — have been recorded this year in the province.

Against this backdrop, the PMA called for an independent audit of the provincial dengue prevention and control programme and for oversight of municipal services to identify and hold accountable the officials responsible for the worsening situation.

“The dengue crisis is a man-made tragedy rooted in the systemic dysfunction of government bodies. The lack of political will to ensure sanitation, waste management, and timely and effective fumigation has turned our cities into breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito. Every death reported is a verdict on the failure of the local government and the provincial health department,” the association stated. It also criticised delayed and ineffective fumigation and what it described as a “collapse of municipal services”.

“Mandate the immediate clearing of stagnant water, open drains, and garbage dumps by local administrations to destroy mosquito breeding sites and enforce environmental health standards,” the association demanded.

Over 200 admitted in Hyderabad hospitals

According to the health department data, a total of 429 patients — including 147 patients in Karachi and 203 in Hyderabad — are currently under treatment at private and public sector hospitals.

It said 25 people, including several children, have lost their lives to dengue fever since October.

Health Secretary Rehan Baloch, however, has claimed that dengue positivity in Hyderabad had declined from 46 per cent last week to 35pc this week.

“The government is closely monitoring the situation,” he stated in a press statement.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2025