Officials and specialists revealed to The News on Thursday that at least 30 individuals have already died from dengue virus infection at seven renowned public and private health facilities in Karachi as a result of an unprecedented rise in vector-borne disease cases over the past six weeks.
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), Indus Hospital Karachi, Darul Sehat Hospital, South City Hospital, National Institute of Child Health (NICH) Karachi, and Liaquat National Hospital all reported dengue-related fatalities, according to The News' research.
Numerous medical facilities declined to offer information to The News, while others acknowledged that dengue had been the cause of deaths in recent weeks but asked for more time before disclosing the confirmed number of dengue cases and fatalities.
Ironically, while the disease surveillance officials connected to the Sindh Director General Health claimed that six dengue-related deaths had been reported to them so far, the Sindh health department has only reported one death in Karachi related to dengue viral infection, which happened in District East.
"At least 11 people have passed away at the Aga Khan University Hospital so far this year as a result of dengue virus infection complications. According to an AKUH official, the majority of the deaths happened in the last six weeks, when dengue fever infections increased at an alarming rate.
He indicated that the viral infection's additional consequences, such as dengue shock syndrome, were to blame for these individuals' deaths. He continued by saying that the AKUH has been constantly informing the Sindh health department and other pertinent organisations in the province of such deaths.
The AKUH official claimed that the admitted cases were only the tip of the iceberg, despite the fact that both public and private hospitals in Karachi had a sizable number of dengue-infected patients. "There is at least one individual without symptoms [of dengue fever] for every person with symptoms. Most dengue patients only experience a fever for three to four days before they feel better and never visit the clinic. Most people who visit the clinic don't require admission, he said.
Dr. Rubina Bashir, the CHK's medical director, reported that 187 dengue patients had been hospitalised so far, three of whom passed away while receiving care there. "We screened 9,020 people with symptoms, and 720 of them had positive dengue fever tests. Three of them have passed away from disease-related complications, and approximately 187 of them have been hospitalised, largely in the previous six weeks, she continued.
The administration of the Indus Hospital also acknowledged that at least three patients had passed away from dengue while receiving care in their intensive care units, with the most recent passing occurring on September 6, 2022.
According to Prof Dr Abdul Bari Khan, CEO of the Indus Health Network, "Three individuals have died due to dengue from January 1, 2022, to September 6, 2022."
Officials at the Liaquat National Hospital in Karachi stated that although there were numerous deaths among dengue fever patients, at least one young woman's demise may have been caused by dengue shock syndrome. The administration of the South City Hospital also confirmed that at least one death occurred at the medical facility last month due to dengue fever.
At least five deaths at their hospital in Gulistan-e-Jauhar were attributed to dengue fever complications, according to a Darul Sehat Hospital Karachi administrator. The official also mentioned that numerous patients, some of whom were critically ill, were receiving treatment for a vector-borne viral infection.
According to representatives of the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) Karachi, at least six children have died in the past two months as a result of dengue fever complications.
Health Department's version
Dr. Teerath Das, Additional Director of Vector-Borne Diseases Sindh, asserted that there had only been one death in Karachi as a result of dengue virus complications. He added they had only gotten confirmation of one dengue-related death in the city.
Dr. Das stated that although the number of dengue cases in Sindh was at an all-time high, they were making every effort to contain the outbreak in the province, including Karachi. "As reports of deaths take a couple of days to reach us at the health department, we are not aware of any mortalities they took place today or yesterday," Dr. Das added.
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