Karachi [Pakistan], January 18 : As many as 103 people died from mosquito-borne diseases across Sindh in 2025, including 23 deaths from malaria at a Karachi hospital, according to data compiled from three hospitals in Karachi and one in Hyderabad, Dawn reported.
However, the figure differs sharply from the provincial health department's official tally, which places the combined death toll from dengue and malaria at 33.
Statistics gathered from Indus Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital & Research Centre (SIDH&RC) and Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad/Jamshoro (LUH) showed that at least 103 people died due to mosquito-borne infections, including malaria, with 83 of the deaths, including children, recorded at hospitals in Karachi, Dawn reported. A significant number of cases were recorded between August and November last year.
According to the data, Indus Hospital recorded 8,883 dengue cases in 2025 with 40 deaths. Sources told Dawn that 18 patients brought in critical condition died at the hospital's emergency department. The hospital also recorded 2,719 malaria patients and 23 deaths due to malaria, with six of the patients dying in the emergency department.
The SIDH&RC reported 941 cases of mosquito-borne illnesses, including 651 dengue and 290 malaria cases. The hospital recorded 14 deaths from dengue and no deaths from malaria, Dawn reported. Meanwhile, though comprehensive data could not be collected from AKUH, sources said that at least six patients died of dengue between January and October last year.
Sources at LUH said that 25 patients died of dengue fever at the facility in 2025, most of whom were admitted between September and November.
In contrast, official data cited by Dawn stated that 20,502 dengue cases were reported in Sindh with 33 deaths, with over 90 per cent of cases recorded in Karachi and Hyderabad. The data listed Karachi with 10,375 cases and 10 deaths, and Hyderabad with 9,559 cases and 23 deaths. It further stated that 283,140 malaria cases were reported in the province with no deaths.
According to the official breakdown, Hyderabad division was the most affected with 128,571 malaria cases, followed by Larkana (69,543), Shaheed Benazirabad (31,685), Mirpurkhas (25,671), Sukkur (24,114) and Karachi (3,556).
Dawn reported that the health department spokesperson did not respond to messages seeking clarification on the disparity between the official figures and the hospital data.
Hospital sources also told Dawn that the government lacks a system to transparently collect data from hospitals and laboratories operating across the province, while many patients seek care from general physicians running small clinics and several die at home, indicating that the actual scale of the health crisis could be larger than reflected in official figures and media reporting.
"There was a big surge in dengue cases, in particular, and we saw considerable patients co-infected with both dengue and malaria. The cases continued to trickle even till December although previously we had seen the seasonal surge subside by the end of the year," recalled Samreen Sarfaraz, senior infectious diseases expert at the Indus Hospital.
Explaining the high number of deaths, Sarfaraz said: "Dengue patients who died had been admitted in a state shock. They had bleeding manifestations or organ dysfunction. Many patients had a severe course within a few days of abrupt onset of fever.
"In case of malaria, patients who died usually had very high parasitic loads of falciparum (a blood parasite that causes the most severe form of malaria) or mixed malaria and presented with severe anaemia, mental obtundation (a state characterised by a reduced level of consciousness and slowed response to stimulation), renal shut down, shock and/or respiratory distress."
She added that an effective anti-malarial medicine exists, but timely diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent complications and fatalities, as the parasitic load rises quickly when a patient is left untreated.
"(Malaria) Patients who died usually had high parasitic loads underscoring the need for early case detection and prompt treatment."
She also stressed mosquito control measures, including draining stagnant water that serves as a breeding ground.
"In order to curb these common and serious vector-borne infections, we need to take effective mosquito control measures both at personal and government level. Using bed nets, mosquito repellents along with draining all stagnating water puddles is crucial."
Highlighting warning signs, she said: "Sudden high-grade fever with body aches and vomiting might be due to dengue or malaria. Seeking care from a qualified health care provider promptly for early diagnosis and management saves lives and prevents complications."