KARACHI - Two more dengue patients passed away here on Saturday, bringing the total number of lives lost to the disease this year to 42.
The Sindh Dengue Control Programme confirmed the cases of latest mortality, saying a 48-year-old woman, resident of North Nazimabad, and a three-month-old boy from Gulshan-e-Malir were reported dead at private health facilities where they were shifted for medical support.
According to available details, the boy was admitted with septic shock with multi-organ dysfunctioning and the woman was reported to be admitted (principal diagnosis) with diffused large B cell lymphoma and febrile neutropenia. She was already on chemotherapy while hypertension was also one of the major health conditions turning her all the more vulnerable to infection and its complications.
It is pertinent to mention here that dengue fever itself was not life threatening and is largely self limiting, however, delay in diagnosis and required interventions that again were simple and cost effective, lead to possible death.
“It is basically also dependent on the immunity system of the patient and preventive measures coupled with proper and timely management of the disease itself (preventing relevant complications) that lead to survival of the patient,” said a provincial health official. The number of dengue fever cases reported in Karachi during past 24 hours is said to be 101 while 5750 during the current month (November) as against 15,304 in the prevalent year.