Dengue, Congo fevers claim three more lives

Karachi
With the death of a 36-year-old due to Dengue fever, the disease's death toll for the year reached five, while the number of patients to have died of the Congo-Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) increased to three, city health authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
Bilal Ahmed, a resident of Surjani Town, was admitted to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and was diagnosed with dengue last week. He was being provided medical care but could not be saved, said Director Health, Karachi, Dr Zafar Aijaz.
According to the director, two patients were said to have died of the CCHF this past week, while a third death was reported earlier this year, whereas a fourth was currently battling for his life at an ICU in the CHK.
Although, officials of the Provincial Dengue Prevention and Control Program claimed that only 2,000 Dengue patients were reported to have been bought to various medical facilities for treatment, the health sources, however, claimed the number of patients had crossed 5,000. Hundreds of patients continue to be brought in to both public and private hospitals, they claimed.
“We are receiving hundreds of Dengue patients at the hospital regularly since the virus is said to affect the most amount of people during the last three months of the year,” stated haematologist and head of the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD), Dr Tahir Shamsi.
With respect to the CCHF, 57-year old Nasrin Faiz, resident of DHA, died at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) on October 8; however, the city’s health authorities were informed of her death on Tuesday.
Athar Jamal, a resident of Orangi Town, was also brought to the AKUH last week with CCHF symptoms, however, he died after the virus had advanced to a stage where his body stopped responding to the medication, Dr Aijaz informed.
Naeem Ilyas, a 22-year old man from Baldia Town was also diagnosed with CCHF and was currently battling for his life at an ICU of the CHK.