Sindh's 24 districts receive funds to buy spray machines; no money for Karachi

• Sindh government has released funds to buy spray machines. 
• No money was issued to Karachi despite dengue spread. 
• Spokesperson says there are a lot of fumigation machines in Karachi. 

The provincial authorities have released Rs480 million to 24 districts of Sindh to acquire spray machines as mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise following massive floods across the country. However, the provincial capital, Karachi, received no money despite the fact that the city is witnessing an alarming upsurge in dengue cases.

According to sources, Karachi's six districts have not been issued the funds to buy spray machines. Only DMC Malir has been allotted Rs20 million for the purchase of machines.

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that Karachi already has a significant number of fumigation machines. The 30 union councils of the city are being daily fumigated with anti-mosquito spray.

Read more: Seven die as dengue grips Karachi

According to a statement, Sherry Rehman, Minister for Climate Change, said there are 584,246 people in camps throughout the country. She underlined the need for the government to heed the issue as the health crisis could wreak havoc.

She added that so far, Karachi has registered an outbreak of dengue fever. The victims in the flood-hit areas of Sindh — with or without shelter — are feared to be at risk of being hit by another episode of misery, she warned.

Read more: Severe dengue emergency has gripped Pakistan, particularly Karachi: Sherry Rehman

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that 15,101 people have been screened for water-borne diseases in the flood-hit areas since the beginning of September. Of them, 3,072 were diagnosed with malaria, said Memon.

To a question about the prevalence of dengue virus in the province, the Sindh minister said 1,066 cases of dengue infection have been reported from Karachi, nine cases from Hyderabad, 11 from Mirpurkhas, five from Shaheed Benazirabad, and seven from Sukkur during the current month.

He added nine people, all from Karachi, succumbed to the infection.