Dengue virus and malaria cases continue to rise in Hyderabad and several districts of interior Sindh, yet preventive measures appear to be lacking.
Hundreds of patients are being forced to seek treatment daily at hospitals, clinics, private healthcare centers, or at home, but efforts to control dengue and malaria remain minimal.
According to Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad, Zain-ul-Abideen, four people have so far lost their lives due to dengue virus infection.
Data from Liaquat University Diagnostic Research Laboratory reveals that in the month of October alone, 17,364 people were screened across Sindh, out of which 7,679 tested positive for dengue. In Hyderabad’s Qasimabad and Latifabad areas alone, 6,486 dengue cases were reported positive.
According to the Sindh Health Department, from January to date, 2,416,427 people have been screened, among whom 215,270 individuals were diagnosed with malaria.
The Sindh government has allocated Rs 1.21 billion for the anti malaria program, but the growing number of malaria cases in the province has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the program.
