KARACHI, Sept 26: Expressing concern over the resurfacing of mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever in the city, the Pakistan Medical Association, Karachi, says heavy responsibilities lie on the government for eliminating mosquitoes.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PMA said the outbreak of dengue fever/hemorrhagic fever was all expected, particularly after the rains, and as such government agencies should have gone for the eradication of mosquitoes on an emergency basis.

“We have already indicated about the increase in the number of cases of dengue fever/ hemorrhagic fever in Karachi after the rain. Last year approximately 60 people had died (52 in Karachi) and more than 7,000 people suffered all over Pakistan,” said the statement issued by the general secretary of the PMA Karachi, Dr S. M. Qaiser Sajjad.

It said the government should make arrangements at its hospitals for the diagnosis of dengue fever and also educate the public through the electronic and print media about the disease.

The government should also provide platelets to all needy patients free through registered healthy donors. Private hospitals should also be told to give special concession on laboratory tests to diagnose dengue fever as custom duties had already been abolished by the government, it was added.

Coming to the aspects of awareness about the dengue epidemic, the PMA said it had been providing awareness about preventive measures against dengue fever as there was no specific treatment for the disease.

“This is a viral disease caused by a mosquito called Aedes Aegypti. It is interesting to note that it breeds only on the surface of clean water and bites humans in daylight, preferably just after and before sunrise and sunset. There is no transmission of the disease from human to human.

“Its only occurs when infected (virus) mosquito (Aedes Aegypti) bites any healthy person. As this is not a contagious disease, there is no need to isolate the patient. Any healthy mosquito (Aedes Aegypti) can become infected when it bites an infected dengue patient. During his illness (till the fever subsides), the patient complains of fever, headache, pain inside the eyes, joint pain, body ache, rashes all over the body, bleeding from the nose, mouth, etc.”

The PMA also stressed the need for making the public sector hospital laboratories more functional, efficient, and competitive.

It also demanded the establishment of a diagnostic centre for all types of viral diseases. “There are a lot of cases of fever of unknown origin in Karachi which may be caused by different viruses,” it concluded.