KARACHI, Oct 17: While the total number of reported cases with suspected viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) increased to 888 at government and private hospitals, 21 more in-house patients were declared to be as confirmed cases of dengue, which led to the fact that mosquitoes were active unabated.
Of the 21 persons lately diagnosed to have dengue fever, five were children admitted to the NICH during the week.
According to the focal person of the Sindh government’s dengue cell, Dr Abdul Majid, who is also the additional secretary of the health department, during the past 24 hours ending at 2pm Tuesday, 35 fresh VHF cases were admitted in seven hospitals while 85 people were discharged. Still 162 patients are undergoing treatment at nine government and private hospitals, he added.
The new admissions were reported from the Aga Khan University Hospital (16), Dr Ziauddin Hospital (7), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (3), National Institute of Child Health (5), Civil Hospital Karachi (1), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (1) and Bismillah Taqi Hospital (2).
Dr Abdul Majid said that on Tuesday a maximum of 49 patients with suspected VHF were admitted as in-house patients at the AKUH, while another 35 at LNH, followed by 30 at ZH, 19 at JPMC, 12 at CHK, six each at NICH and ASH, 4 at BTH one at Hamid Hospital Quaidabad.
Medical practitioners and senior citizens were of the view that dengue cases were not abating at Karachi and as such the city government and provincial government should take up the issue seriously as the number of people with mosquito afflicted diseases was increasing every day.
God knows how many of the patients of suspected VHF or dengue are undocumented or were suffering at homes or small hospitals, said a senior citizen, urging the government to do some thing more than an eye wash and set up team of researchers and viral disease and community medicine experts to ascertain the exact reason behind the dengue menace.
Patients at different hospitals have been coming from almost all localities of the city, including Dawood Pota Road, Saddar, Quaidabad, Bahadurabad, Garden Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauher, Kauser Town Malir, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, PAF Base Faisal, Gulshan-e-Zahoor, North Nazimabad Block L, PIB Colony, Qayumabad, North Karachi, Landhi, F B Area, Malir extension Colony, Nazimabad, Sultanabad Manghopir, New Karachi, Saddar, Agra Taj, DHA, Mehmoodabad, Bihar Colony, Baldia Town, Clifton, Orangi Town, Liaquatabad and Green Town.
According to LNH sources, since June 2006 the hospital admitted 311 patients, out of which five expired, 271 were discharged and 35 were still undergoing treatment. As many as four of the in-house patients have been detected as dengue positive cases, while results of three of the patients are still awaited and 22 were found dengue negative.
Dr Farhat Abbas, Medical Director of the AKU, said that at present 49 patients were hospitalised at the hospital for treatment of VHF, most of them were admitted during he last two weeks.
This obviously reflects a sudden increase in the number of such cases and was a cause of concern, he added in a communication.