Sindh dengue death toll nears 40 as minor girl dies in Hyderabad

• Karachi worst hit, 117 positive cases reported in day: officials.
• 21 patients were admitted to state hospitals, 25 to private institutions.
• Dengue fever is transmitted through the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
  

KARACHI: A seven-year-old girl died of dengue fever in Hyderabad, taking the death toll to 39 in Sindh this year, provincial health department sources said on Friday.

At least 173 additional cases have also been reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry confirmed.

In an alarming situation, dengue cases are on the rise in Sindh, with Karachi being the worst affected. In the last 24 hours, a total of 1,984 examinations were carried out in public and private laboratories.

Of the 173 new cases, 117 were reported in Karachi and 56 people tested positive for the virus in Hyderabad.

As many as 21 new dengue patients were admitted to government hospitals across the province, while 25 new patients were admitted to private hospitals.

With these admissions, the total number of hospitalized dengue patients in the province has reached 48.

The rising cases reflect a pattern seen in recent years, with Sindh reporting a total of 2,704 dengue cases in 2024. and 2,880 in 2023. The numbers were even higher in 2022, with a record 23,274 cases reported across the province — the highest number in recent years. In comparison, 6,739 cases were recorded in 2021, while 4,318 cases were recorded in 2020.

What is dengue fever?

Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which are most active during the day, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon.

Symptoms usually appear four to ten days after an infected mosquito bite and may include high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, and mild bleeding such as nose or gum bleeding or easy bruising.

Precautionary measures

According to experts, the vector-borne disease could be prevented by preventive measures that include eliminating standing water to stop mosquito breeding. Experts also suggest keeping water containers well covered, using mosquito repellents and nets and wearing long-sleeved clothing, especially in the early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are most active.