Karachi flu cases have roughly doubled at two major public hospitals over the past week to 10 days, senior emergency doctors said on Monday, as the city moves toward winter and night temperatures fall.
At Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Dr Irfan Siddiqui, who heads the emergency department, said daily patients with flu-like illness had risen from about 30 to 40 to about 70 to 80. He said people had been presenting with such symptoms for more than a month, but the jump came with the gradual seasonal shift, especially cooler nights. Both JPMC and Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) have also seen more cases in the past 10 days than in the first half of the month.
What doctors are seeing in emergency wards
Dr Siddiqui said many people first visit neighbourhood clinics and come to a tertiary emergency department only when illness becomes serious. The load at JPMC, he argued, is therefore only a fraction of citywide infections. He described the rise as seasonal, with older adults, children, and people with weaker immune systems at higher risk.
He said most flu patients now reaching JPMC were aged 18 to 32 and from the labour class, and that a significant share were heavy smokers or drug users. Patients were often arriving quite unwell and taking longer than usual to recover. He also pointed to slow changes in eating habits as weather cools, which he said can leave people more open to illness.
At CHK, Dr Imran Sarwar, additional medical superintendent and head of the emergency department, said daily flu numbers had climbed from about eight to 10 to about 30 to 40. All age groups are affected, he said, though people in their twenties dominate. He suggested the illness may be spreading more easily this season, with three to five members of the same family sometimes seeking care together. Treatment, he said, is mainly for symptoms, and only a few complicated cases need admission.
Precautions doctors recommend
Dr Siddiqui stressed basic hygiene and healthy routines: wash hands often, stay home when sick, keep distance from people who are ill, drink enough fluids, and sleep well. He advised against cold drinks and cold water. An annual flu shot in early autumn, he said, is the strongest step against seasonal flu and its complications, but the vaccine is expensive and offered mainly in private facilities.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Over the past month: Patients with flu-like symptoms have been reporting in Karachi, according to JPMC’s emergency head.
- First half of the month: Daily flu visits at JPMC and CHK were lower than in the most recent stretch.
- Past eight to 10 days: Hospitals report a clear spike; caseloads exceed those of the first half of the month.
- Past week: Daily numbers roughly double at JPMC (to about 70–80) and at CHK (to about 30–40).
- Monday: Senior doctors at both hospitals urge hygiene, rest when ill, and other precautions as nights cool.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi ke bade hospitals mein flu ke patients lagbhag ek haftay mein double ho gaye hain. Thandi raaton aur sardi ke mausam ki shuruat se yeh cases barh rahe hain. Jawanon aur mazdoor tabqe ke log zyada aspatal aa rahe hain. Haath dhoyein, beemar hon to ghar mein rahain, aur pani zyada piyen taake beemari kam phailay.
