Karachi is experiencing an increase in dengue fever, malaria and other viral diseases

• JPMC, Civil Hospital admits 50 patients daily, say medical experts.
• Patients arriving at hospitals complain of cold, fever and body aches.
• 1,484 dengue fever, 1,768 malaria cases were recorded in Karachi this year.
  

KARACHI: Vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya and other viral infections have led to an increased number of patients in the city’s hospitals.

At least 50 patients daily, according to medical experts, arrive at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) and Civil Hospital complaining of cold, fever and body ache with suspected cases of dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya and other viral infections.

According to the Sindh Health Department, at least 411 suspected cases of chikungunya have been reported in Sindh, with 153 of them confirmed after diagnosis.

At least 1,724 dengue cases were reported in Sindh this year, of which 1,484 were recorded in Karachi alone. One death due to dengue was also reported in Sindh this year.

The health ministry said at least 2,22,239 cases of malaria were reported in Sindh this year, with 1,768 diagnosed in Karachi.

Chikungunya cases have also increased in the city with several patients flocking to hospitals and doctors with symptoms of the infection.

Geo NewsHowever, he learned from sources that chikungunya test kits were not available in government hospitals as the number of cases spiked in medical centres.

When asked about the symptoms of viral infections, Agha Khan Hospital family physician Dr Bilal Aheed said Geo.tv people who experience high fever, body aches, joint pain and swelling or redness of the skin.

“These symptoms are often associated with viral fevers such as dengue and chikungunya, which are transmitted by a type of mosquito called Aedes,” the doctor said when responding to Geo.tv.

Specifically, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting these viruses, he added.

According to the family doctor, these mosquitoes thrive in urban areas and breed in stagnant water such as open containers, puddles or water tanks.

Precautionary measures

The doctor shared the following measures to ensure prevention of the aforementioned diseases: