KARACHI, Oct 24: With more than 50 cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) reporting every day at a few major hospitals of the city alone every day, the disease is taking the shape of an epidemic that has struck both slums and posh areas equally.

The number of such cases reporting at big public and private hospitals, as well as small clinics and other health care centres, is on the increase. The Sindh health department’s Dengue Fever Cell recorded arrival of 55 fresh cases at nine government and private hospitals during the past 24 hours ending at 2pm Tuesday.

Of the 1,392 suspected VHF patients admitted to various hospitals since June 2006, 431 have already been declared dengue-positive cases, bringing the percentage of these patients from among the total VHF patients to 30.96 by Tuesday.

This percentage is on a higher side at the private hospitals where normally a patient from a well-off family is admitted. The Aga Khan University Hospital said that it had 21 in-house VHF/dengue patients, 11 of them having been tested dengue positive and the remaining ones negative.

According to the Dengue Information and Surveillance Cell, of the 353 patients admitted to the AKUH over a period of four months, 100 have been tested dengue positive. At another private facility, the Liaquat National Hospital, the tally of dengue positive cases has reached 130. The Ziauddin Hospital has 52 and the Bismillah Taqi Hospital 45 dengue positive cases at present.

A total of 22 people have died from the VHF since its outbreak. The diseases, including dengue, have claimed three lives in the interior of Sindh whereas four patients with the symptoms linked to the dengue fever are admitted to two hospitals, one in Sukkur and the other in Larkana. Three patients have been tested dengue positive, said an official of the Cell.

Meanwhile, patients with suspected VHF were brought to various hospitals from Defence, Clifton, PECHS, Bahadurabad, Liaquatabad, F B Area, Korangi, Landhi, North Karachi, New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Orangi, Nazimabad, Baldia, Golimar, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Garden, Saddar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Shah Faisal and Malir.

According to the Dengue Fever Cell, 160 patients are under treatment at 12 hospitals while 47 have since been discharged during the past 24 hours.

The number of in-house patient as of Tuesday was as follows: AKUH: 21 (12 new), LNH: 38 (11 new), CHK: seven (two new), Ziauddin Hospital: 28 (10 new), JPMC: 30(eight new), Bismillah Taqi Hospital: five (four new), Hamid Hospital: one (no new), NICH: seven (four new), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital: 14 (two new), Baqai Hospital: five(two new), Star Gate Hospital Malir: three (no new) and Afroze Medical Centre: one (no new).

Experts have once again urged the government to scan all those areas which have been providing breeding grounds to the Aedes Aegypti, the mosquito class responsible for the dengue infliction and spread.

In another development, the Ziauddin University Hospital has decided to perform dengue IGM test at its North Nazimabad, Clifton and Keamari campuses at a reduced rate of Rs600 in line with the directive by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Minister for Health Syed Sardar Ahmed, said a press release of the hospital.