Following recent rains, cases of dengue and malaria have started to increase across Sindh including Karachi. According to the spokesperson of the Health Department, from January 1 to August 25, a total of 116,828 malaria cases have been reported across the province, of which 1,200 were from Karachi. The most affected district in the city is Malir where 432 patients have been reported.
According to the spokesperson, Hyderabad Division reported 50,499 malaria cases, Larkana Division 33,333 cases, Sukkur Division 9,263 cases, Mirpurkhas Division 8,943 cases, while Shaheed Benazirabad Division reported 13,590 cases. This year, three cases of cerebral malaria have also been reported, all belonging to Hyderabad.
Regarding dengue, the spokesperson stated that this year 436 cases have been reported across Sindh at government hospitals, out of which 375 belong to Karachi. Karachi’s East District reported 93 cases, Central District 85, South District 73, Korangi 52, Malir 34, while West and Keamari Districts reported 19 cases each.
Apart from Karachi, 43 cases were reported from Hyderabad, 13 from Mirpurkhas, 3 from Shaheed Benazirabad, 2 from Sukkur, and 1 from Larkana. However, these statistics only include data from government hospitals, private hospital records are not included.
According to experts, symptoms of dengue include high fever, red spots on the body and bleeding from the nose, mouth or ears. These symptoms can lead to severe blood loss and shock in the human body.
Experts further stated that dengue mosquitoes breed in clean water found in homes and bite mostly during Fajr and Maghrib (sunset) hours. Citizens are advised to cover water containers, wear full-sleeved clothing and use mosquito repellents at home.
