Karachi is the only district in the province that has continued to register dengue fever positive cases during the current year. A senior official of Sindh Dengue Surveillance Cell told APP on Monday that 16 patients suspected to be suffering from dengue fever had to be admitted to different hospitals in the city while another 17 were attended at out patients departments, since January one this year.
"Relevant laboratory investigations identified all these 33 cases to be positive during necessary investigation," he said in reply to a question. The official said one confirmed case of the ailment was reported last week (March 25 to April one), while another three in the preceding week.
He said while no dengue fever related mortality or morbidity was reported, however, caution was extremely needed at every level to avert possible severity attached to dengue fever that may develop into hemorrhagic fever and possible failure of essential human organs of the patients concerned.
Senior physician Dr Syed Furqan said the threat of dengue fever, a consequence of environmental degradation and rapid urbanisation, continues to loom in the country, however, its intensity does vary in accordance to weather conditions. "This very situation also casts its impact on frequency as well as intensity and severity of the fever caused by mosquitoes known aedes egypti," he said.
The doctor said at the moment not many cases may be reported but any outbreak of the disease is possible in Karachi as well as in other cities of the country in coming months. "The low phase provides an opportunity to the city administrators as well as to the citizens to taken necessary precaution and not to allow existence of breeding grounds for aedes egypti," he elaborated.
The physician said people must be repeatedly informed to keep the tanks and containers meant for potable and fresh water properly lid and also not to allow pools of stagnant water in or around their dwellings. Sindh Dengue Surveillance Cell official said that no case of dengue, suspected or otherwise, was reported from other districts of the province in the current year.