Pakistan experiences dengue, malaria epidemic

KARACHI: Pakistan's monsoon rains and flawed drainage system, coupled with the country's hot, arid climate,  should  always keep people on the lookout for mosquito-borne diseases. Unfortunately, the nations continues to be one of the only two in the world that still haven't been able to eliminate malaria.

A dengue outbreak only adds to Pakistan's challenges. Cases of confirmed dengue patients have been reported in thousands across all the provinces and it is feared that it may become an epidemic.

The highest number of dengue patients have been confirmed in Sindh, with the total count exceeding 2,233.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 cases have been recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh  and 2,158 in Punjab only. Some 618 cases have been reported in Balochistan.

On the other hand, the number of patients suffering from malaria in Sindh has reached 52,377 — amongst them, 70 percent children, women, and elders.

According to the statistics given by Sindh Health Department, 10,000 cases have been reported in Thatta, 4,000 in Larkana, and upwards of 1,800 in the provincial capital.