Dengue cases on the rise as Karachi hospitals running out of space
Dengue cases have seen a spike in recent weeks in the city where civic conditions have worsened following heavy downpour over the past two months, it emerged on Monday.
Dengue fever is a vector-borne viral disease that can be easily prevented by protecting yourself from mosquito bites.
A review of information from various sources revealed that a large number of dengue patients are currently being admitted to private and government hospitals while the majority of people reporting at the out-patient departments and private clinics with flu-like signs and symptoms were being diagnosed to have dengue.
According to sources, no death has been reported in 5 major government hospitals of the city since the outbreak of dengue this year.
These hospitals are: the Sindh Infectious Disease Hospital (SIDHRC) and Research Centre, Dow University Hospital, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
Sources said that Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) had the highest number of deaths at 11 in the last 6 weeks, followed by Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) with 3 deaths between May and September 9. Two deaths were reported at Indus Hospital and one at South City Hospital between August 1 and September 8.
Liaquat National Hospital official Anjum Rizvi said that since May, a total of 1,034 patients have recovered in LNH, only three people have died while many patients are still undergoing treatment.
Rizvi added that the 3 patients who died were brought to the hospital in critical condition.
Dow Hospital’s Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Zahid Azam said although dengue patients were reporting in large numbers, so far there was no mortality at the hospital.
“We are daily getting 40 to 50 patients for admission out of whom eight are admitted to the intensive care unit [ICU] while the rest are discharged in a day or two and these cases are followed up in clinics,” he said.
