Dengue claims many lives in Pakistan

LAHORE/KARACHI: Seven more people lost their lives due to Dengue fever in Lahore on Thursday, increasing the death toll to 33, while two lives were lost in Karachi bringing casualty figures in the country to nine on Thursday.
In Lahore, the victims included a woman, Safia, 50, of Icchra, Mamri Khan, 18, Moeen Khan, 22, Zar Gull, 60, of Khan Colony, a peon at Mayo Hospital, Ayub, 45, Ayesha, 20, a nursing student at Mayo Hospital, and Fiza Hanif, 18, of Gawalmandi.
According to unofficial reports, 685 new dengue patients have surfaced in Punjab. But the health department reported 412 more dengue cases from the province during the last 24 hours. Of these patients, 353 are from Lahore.
According to media reports, around 1,075 confirmed cases were reported in Lahore on Thursday. Around 336 cases from Mayo Hospital, 78 from IPH, 63 from Sheikh Zaid Hospital, 90 from Ganga Ram Hospital, two from Services Hospital, 33 from LGH, 62 from Jinnah Hospital, 136 from Children's Hospital and 275 from private clinics and other hospitals were reported.
So far more than 10,000 cases of dengue have been reported from Punjab, out of which over 4,400 are from Lahore alone, and in Lahore, Gulberg is the most affected area where 19 percent patients have been diagnosed with the disease. Patients are facing severe difficulties in getting admission to hospitals and obtaining platelets that are necessary for treatment of the disease. This is due to the fact that the number of patients is constantly increasing in the city. Though the virus has turned into an epidemic in the city, major hospitals have no mechanism to keep record of the dengue patients.
However, doctors say that not every fever turns into Dengue and it could only be ascertained after specific blood screening. Dengue symptoms include lower level of blood platelets, high fever, red spots on body and vomiting. Dengue claims two more lives in Karachi Sindh Dengue Surveillance Cell confirmed two more deaths from Dengue on Thursday, which increased the toll of dengue related deaths to three in the provincial capital during the current year.
A report issued by the Cell confirmed death of a dengue positive patient at a private hospital on September 9, whereas one more death was reported on Thursday from another private hospital.
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