Doctors have warned inhabitants as well as managers of Karachi to brave themselves against every possibility of dengue fever outbreak in few weeks time.
Talking to newsmen on Saturday, they said Karachi might yet to have monsoon showers causing pools and puddles as breeding points for Aedes Egypti, the Dengue Mosquito, however, even rains in the different parts of the province had its directing bearing on health of Karachiites.
"Trucks carrying agricultural products and other items are loaded with mosquitoes too causing the ailment," said Dr Sarfaraz Jaffery of Hussaini Blood Bank. "The fact under no condition absolves City District Government -Karachi (CDGK) of its responsibilities to ensure cleanliness, spray and fogging and above all citizens to keep their containers of fresh water properly covered, their homes and area clean with no stagnant water," he said.
Reminding that the situation is reflective of climatic changes and their repercussions at the local as well as global levels, the haematologist urged that prevention and public education could be the most effective options to combat the disease.
"We ought to remember that Dengue epidemic will hit the metropolis for third consecutive year and as per scientific evidence would complete its ten year cycle in 2015," he elaborated. The haematologist said the available city data and international studies also revealed that number of dengue fever cases and its severity would also diminish with every passing year.
Professor Afia Zafar of Aga Khan University said the number of cases being reported might be negligible at current point of time, yet citizens in their individual capacity must ensure that water was not allowed to remain stagnant out of their homes as well as within the homes. "Kill the mosquitoes, be these causing malaria or dengue," she said urging people that absence of mosquitoes could help them avoid ailments that do prove to be fatal, among almost all age group of people.
Answering a question, she said people who during past two years or even before might have been inflicted with dengue fever need to be a little more cautious. "Fever with shivering if persists for more than three days must make necessary for patient's referral to any qualified GP who may advise blood test to assess blood count," she said.
The two doctors said it was basically the massive decline in blood platelet, which lead to haemorrhage among the dengue fever patients causing shock syndrome and ultimately death. These deaths were said to be largely preventable through timely platelet transfusion among people who may report with below normal blood count, to a point when blood may lose its coagulation capacity.
Hussaini Blood Bank, at current point of time was said to be approached on daily basis for six to seven patients, admitted to different city hospitals, suffering from dengue fever and in need of platelet. "Platelet transfusion is basically a supportive treatment and is not necessarily required by every patients inflicted with dengue fever," clarified Pathologist Dr Jaffery.
Dr Sarfaraz said those already inflicted with dengue previously do develop anti bodies with the passage of time but needed not to overlook possibility of recurrence which could be severer and fatal. The two doctors also urged the Karachiites to ensure that clean water stored by them in tanks, buckets, drums etc were properly covered as the dengue mosquito basically survived on fresh water.
People living in areas, particularly some of the suburbs, where piped water facility may not be available were urged to see that tanks, buckets, drums etc used by them to store fresh water are properly covered and regularly utilised allowing re-fills.
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