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Published 10 Oct, 2011 10:32pm

Dengue toll rises to eight as woman dies

KARACHI, Oct 10: The death of yet another dengue patient, a 40-year-old woman, was confirmed here on Monday, taking this year’s dengue-related deaths in the city to eight.

In the last 10 days, two people, both women, died of dengue, while the total number of patients who tested positive for dengue rose to 472 in the city on Monday, the highest among the 16 dengue-affected districts of Sindh.

According to the focal person of the Sindh health department’s provincial dengue surveillance cell, Dr Shakeel A. Mullick, the woman, a resident of Block-4, Nazimabad, was admitted to Dr Ziauddin Hospital on Oct 4. Tested positive for dengue, she died at the hospital on Oct 8.

The focal person said the confirmation of the death was delayed as results of some tests were awaited by the doctors concerned.

Earlier, a woman, resident of F. B Area, was reported dead due to dengue in Dr Ziauddin Hospital on Sept 9.

Since January, according to the surveillance reports, three persons, including two women, have died of dengue at the Civil Hospital Karachi between Sept 19 and Oct 3. Two more patients died at the Aga Khan University Hospital and a woman died at the OMI Hospital.

In the meantime, the number of patients admitted to various hospitals or seen in the OPDs for dengue-like symptoms reached 682 in the city, 69 per cent of whom tested positive for the disease while test results of a number of patients were yet to be known.

Patients who reported for treatment to hospitals during the month came from North Nazimabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulbahar, Shah Faisal Colony, Mohajir Camp, Orangi Town, Karimabad, F C Area, Lyari, Agra Taj Colony, North Karachi, Nazimabad, Qasba Colony, New Karachi, Surjani Town, Baldia Town, New Town, Gadap, Korangi, Keamari, Ranchhore Line, Saddar, Lines Area, Liaquatabad, Manghopir, PIDC Colony, Sachal Goth, Sabzi Mandi, DHA, Wahdat Colony, Bahadurabad, Sharifabad, Banaras Colony, Landhi, Rizvia Soceity, Noorani Basti and Malir.

Experts say dengue cases will continue to report till mid-November, when the dengue virus would start subsiding due to cold weather.

A total of 4,083 dengue patients were reported in Karachi last year, when 25 dengue-related deaths were confirmed by government officials.

The other 15 districts of Sindh have reported 116 positive cases so far, with the maximum of 52 in Hyderabad, followed by Tando Mohammad Khan, 20; Ghotki,10, and Naushahro Feroz, 5.

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