KARACHI, Oct 21: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that the city government was providing medical and financial assistance to the patients suffering from dengue fever.

He was talking to media men on the occasion of the inauguration of a laboratory set up by the city government for conducting dengue virus tests at the Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi on Saturday.

Mr Kamal said that around 1,000 dengue cases had been reported in the city so far and some 300 patients were in serious condition He said that due to special and timely steps taken by the CDGK, the rate of deaths from dengue remained less than that of the last year.

Mr Kamal said that free dengue tests had been started at all CDGK-run hospitals while free diagnosis at the lab had been offered to other government or private hospitals.

“This is the first laboratory of its kind in the country where free of cost blood test facility has been provided,” he pointed out, saying that arrangements had been made for conducting blood tests of more than 1,000 patients and further arrangements would be made, if needed.

It was also for the first time in the city that IgM and IgG tests for dengue fever were available under one roof.

The city nazim said that the city government was adopting all possible preventive measures at every level, adding that fumigation drive had been launched for the third time in the city.

He clarified that fumigation to eliminate the mosquito responsible for the spread of dengue fever was being carried out during daytime because the mosquito breeds and bites during these hours.—PPI