Karachi: Dengue claimed another life in Sindh during the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 26 this year, the health department said on Sunday, as the province continued to report a decline in new infections.
Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Baloch said the deceased was a 19 year old woman from Korangi, Karachi who was admitted to the Sindh Infectious Disease Control Hospital on November 8 and passed away the following day. He said although the loss of life remained a concern, the overall number of daily cases was showing a downward trend.
A total of 3,278 dengue tests were conducted across Sindh during the past 24 hours, out of which 727 were confirmed positive. Karachi carried out 1,919 tests and reported 269 cases, while Hyderabad conducted 1,359 tests and confirmed 458 positive cases.
The Secretary said 103 new dengue patients were admitted to government hospitals across the province, while 72 new patients were received by private hospitals. He added that 58 patients recovered and were discharged from public hospitals, while 92 recovered from private facilities and returned home.
Rehan Baloch said 6,708 people have tested positive for dengue so far this month, taking the total number of confirmed cases this year to 12,284. At present, 271 dengue patients are admitted to public hospitals and 171 are under treatment at private facilities across Sindh.
He said 987 beds have been reserved for dengue patients in government hospitals, including 256 in Karachi, 165 in Hyderabad and 566 in other districts. Private hospitals have allocated 443 beds in total, including 164 in Karachi, 213 in Hyderabad and 66 in other parts of the province.
According to him, dengue testing data is being collected from 34 laboratories across Sindh. Karachi has 16 labs conducting dengue tests, including 6 in the public sector and 10 private. Hyderabad has 18 labs, including 7 public and 11 private facilities.
The Secretary urged citizens to ensure cleanliness, remove stagnant water, use mosquito repellents and seek timely medical care if they develop fever, body pain, headache, nausea or rash.
Ends