KARACHI: Sindh has recorded 439 confirmed dengue cases so far in October, taking the provincial total for 2025 to 1,083, according to a new report issued by the Sindh Health Department.
Karachi remains the worst-hit division with 188 cases this month, followed by Hyderabad with 154.
Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, continues to pose a major public health challenge in Sindh, particularly during the post-monsoon period when stagnant water and poor sanitation conditions encourage mosquito breeding.
While official figures show a moderate spread, data gathered independently from Karachi hospitals and laboratories suggest a much sharper surge. Between October 1 and 16, three major hospitals and a public sector lab with branches in Hyderabad reported more than 12,000 suspected or confirmed cases — a discrepancy raising concerns about the accuracy of government data.
Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, in a statement issued through her department, said the official numbers were based solely on verified reports received from government hospitals. “If a patient undergoes testing at a private laboratory, that report is not included in our official data,” she clarified, urging citizens not to rely on unverified figures circulating on social media.
The minister said Karachi Division remained the most affected, followed by Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Larkana. She added that anti-dengue operations had been intensified across the province, with fumigation drives, spraying, and water drainage being monitored at the district level.
“Deputy commissioners and district health officers have been instructed to ensure that no stagnant water remains,” Dr Pechuho said, adding that separate dengue wards had been set up in government hospitals to provide free testing and treatment.
Despite these measures, health experts have described the situation as far more severe than what official statistics reflect. Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Sindh President Dr Bashir Ahmed Khaskheli said the real number of cases was “many times higher,” as private clinics, informal practitioners, and low-income patients often remained outside the government’s reporting network.
“There is no mechanism for collecting data from private hospitals or local clinics, and many people never get tested due to costs,” he said.
Doctors at Karachi and Hyderabad’s leading hospitals, including the Aga Khan University Hospital and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, confirmed a seasonal spike consistent with previous dengue cycles. “The end of October is typically when dengue cases peak,” said infectious disease specialist Dr Faisal Mahmood, who added that weather fluctuations and recent floods may have intensified the spread this year.
Experts have also attributed the surge to ineffective fumigation and poor drainage systems. “Standing water and heaps of garbage have created ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes,” said PMA’s Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, stressing that the outbreak could have been mitigated through better vector control.
Dr Khaskheli added that repeated lapses in sanitation and drainage management had made dengue an annual crisis in Sindh. “This is not just a medical issue — it’s an urban governance failure,” he said.
