Fever medicines disappear as dengue breaks out across country

KARACHI: Following the countrywide unprecedented floods that have submerged almost one-third of Pakistan, waterborne dengue infection has broken out in all four provinces, with panic and fear spreading among the public as profiteers disappeared fever medicine from the market.

Karachi reported another death from dengue virus in the last 24 hours, with over 2,000 people affected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after excessive rains left breeding sites for mosquitoes.

Currently, there is no place for new patients in the wards reserved for dengue patients in Karachi's hospitals.

 Punjab reported 125 new cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Moreover, dengue claimed four lives in the province, data from the health department showed.

Amid the dire situation, a shortage of medicine for fever has sprung up in most areas of the country, with pharmacies in Punjab awaiting a resumption in the supply of the drug for the last four weeks.

In Peshawar, the price of a  strip of fever pills has increased from Rs17 to Rs30.