1,510 dengue cases reported in Karachi

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed health department to take necessary measures to provide dengue kits to Tharparkar and Karachi for timely cure in increasing cases of dengue.

He was presiding over a meeting on health services here at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Minister Health Dr Sikandar Mendhro, Secretary Health Usman Chachar and other senior officers of health department.

Briefing the chief minister Secretary Health Usman Chachar said that 1713 cases of dengue have been reported in province, of them 1510 cases in Karachi with three deaths, 68 in Hyderabad and 84 in Tharparkar.

Minister Health Dr Sikandar Mendhro said that in Thar presently 88 cases have been reported, of them 84 were treated in Hyderabad and sent back home. Only four patients in stable condition are in LMC Hyderabad.

Giving reasons of spread of dengue in Tharparkar, Dr Mendhro said that people in Thar store water in tanks and earthen pots. The dengue mosquito lays eggs in that clean and stored water which they [villagers] use for drinking and other purposes.

The health minister said that Dengue Control Programme Manager Dr Masood Solanagi had taken the sample of water stored in different areas of Karachi, including of zoo and found millions of larvae (dengue seedlings). They killed them by pouring chemical into their tanks and now it is safe t some extent.

Secretary health told the chief minister that the Dengue Control Programme administration has purchased 17000 kits and have started distributing them in the affected areas.

The chief minister directed health department to take necessary measure to provide timely treatment to the dengue patients and also issued directives to commissioner and local bodies for extensive fumigation in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thar.