Pakistan: 14 dengue patients die in Turbat, locals blame authority for outbreak

Over 5,000 have been diagnosed with the disease in Kech district.

“As many as 14 people died of dengue in Turbat alone, the district headquarters of Kech district, during the last two months,” Dr Abu-Bakar, district health officer of Kech, told Dawn News.

He told the Pakistani newspaper that during the current year, 24,552 people came for screening, and out of them, 5,329 were found positive for dengue.

He said the deaths due to dengue occurred in different villages of Turbat.

According to local reports, authorities have not imposed an emergency in the region despite deaths recorded due to the vector-borne disease.

Authorities have not even provided proper treatment facilities to patients.

“Most patients face difficulties due to the lack of proper testing and laboratory facilities in government and private hospitals in the district,” a patient, Mubarak Baloch, told Dawn.

“I have been suffering from the dengue virus for the last week and have received no proper treatment, while I don’t have resources to go to Karachi for treatment.”

Dengue cases have also been reported from the Gwadar and Panjgur regions of the country.