KARACHI, Nov 20: Three more patients of the suspected viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) died at two hospitals bringing the death toll since the outbreak in the city about five months back to 42.

While scores of people with mosquito-borne disease continued to report at various hospitals on Monday, the Liaquat National Hospital confirmed two deaths and the Aga Khan University Hospital reported one during the past 24 hours ending at 2pm Monday.

According to the data provided by the Dengue Fever Cell of the Sindh Health Department, with the three more deaths in Karachi, the suspected VHF toll in Sindh had risen to 46 and the number of such cases reported at various hospitals in the province was touching the mark of 4,000.

The two patients who died at Liaquat National Hospital were Sumaiya, 12, a resident of Suparco Colony, who was admitted on November 16, and Zubaida Firoz, 52, a resident of Baloch Colony. She had expired on Saturday-Sunday night, said Dr Tajammul Baig of the DFC.

He said that a resident of North Karachi, Roshan Ara, 53, died at the Aga Khan University Hospital late on Sunday night. She had been admitted on November 3 with symptoms relating to VHF.

On Monday alone, 43 patients were admitted to just 10 hospitals of Karachi and another four to two hospitals of the interior Sindh, the DFC data showed.

The city hospital received fresh cases from Nazimabad, Baldia, Jamshed, Federal B Area, North Karachi, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Clifton, Saddar, Lyari, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Korangi, etc., health circle said.

Meanwhile, residents of certain localities in Gulberg, Jamshed, North Karachi and Korangi towns have complained that no fumigation or fogging had been carried out in their areas as yet. “Perhaps, the authorities are waiting for the cold wave to eliminate Aedis Agypti mosquitoes,” some people in a locality said, referring to the mosquito species responsible for the outbreak of viral haemorrhagic fever, including dengue.

A maximum of 10 new patients of suspected VHF were brought to the Ziauddin Hospital whereas the AKUH and LNH received nine patients each during the past 24 hours.

An AKUH press release put the number of in-house VHF/dengue patients at 21 on Monday, stating that a total of 670 patients had been admitted to the hospital since June this year. Fifteen of them could not survive, it said, adding that the number of those tested dengue-positive was 640.

The position of in-house patients at other city hospitals on Monday was as follows: LNH: 67 (9 new), CHK: 7 (2 new), ZUH: 50 (10 new), JPMC: 20 (3 new), BTH: 12 (2 new), NICH: 12 (1 new), ASH: 44 (no new), Baqai Hopsital: 8 (2 new), Patel Hospital: 1 (new), Darul Shifa Hospital: 12 (3 new), Kutiyana Hospital: 5 (no new), Lyari Hospital 2 (no new) and Zainul Abedin Hospital 1 (new).