Dengue fever outbreak grows in Pakistan as deaths mount
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Dengue fever outbreak grows in Pakistan as deaths mount*
21 Oct 2006 08:48:04 GMT
Source: Reuters
KARACHI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Mosquito-borne dengue fever killed five
people in Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Friday, taking the toll
to 25 in the past four months, and reported cases rose sharply, a health
official said.
Shakeel Malik, a provincial health ministry official, said two people
died in Karachi, and three others elsewhere in Sindh, while 177 patients
were being treated.
"At least 53 new cases of dengue fever were reported on Friday," Malik
told Reuters, adding that special laboratories had been set up at some
state-run hospitals to test for the disease.
Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city and the capital of Sindh province, has
been the worst hit, with 22 deaths, and over half of them were
registered this month.
Dengue is a tropical disease and is caused by a specific type of
mosquito -- the Aedes mosquito -- that bites during the day. The
mosquitoes usually breed in rain water in discarded containers and car
tyres.
Neighbouring India has reported nearly 5,000 dengue cases, including 94
deaths, since August.