Pakistan: Diphtheria grows 'exponentially', dengue and chikungunya surge in Karachi
Diphtheria
The Sindh Health Department reports 28 children in Karachi have died from diphtheria, out of 166 cases this year, due to the unavailability of Diphtheria Anti-Toxin (DAT), despite the disease being preventable through vaccination.
All the diphtheria cases were being referred to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital (SIDH).
Experts of infectious diseases said the antitoxin medicine used against the disease was not available across Sindh, including Karachi.
Dengue
The dengue cases are also on the surge, with 1,724 cases reported in Sindh this year, including 1,484 from Karachi. Unfortunately, one death related to dengue has also been reported in the province.
Chikungunya
According to the Sindh Health Department, at least 411 suspected cases of chikungunya were reported in Sindh with 153 among those were confirmed.
The increasing number of suspected chikungunya cases is a concern, but the high cost of diagnostic tests is a barrier for many citizens seeking testing.