February 23, 2003	Sunday	Zul Hijjah 21, 1423

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SUKKUR, Feb 22: Diarhoea has assumed epidemic proportions in Sukkur and Rohri in the wake of the recent rain, stagnant rain- water mixed with sewerage effluent and the supply of dirty drinking water.

Over 200 patients, mostly children, are still being treated in the government and private hospitals in both the cities while hundreds of children have been discharged during the past few weeks.

Municipal officials of Sukkur and Rohri, contacted by this correspondent, said that the water being supplied to the city from River Indus was highly contaminated with dirty water and sewerage effluent because of the acute shortage of water.

They cautioned the people to use boiled water for drinking purpose.

Meanwhile, the situation appeared grim as about 30 to 40 diarrhoea patients visit hospitals on a daily basis, and of them 15 to 20 patients were being admitted to hospitals on a routine basis because of aggravated dehydration.

In this connection, the civil surgeon of the Civil Hospital Sukkur and the medical superintendent of the Anwar Piracha Hospital, Sukkur, have taken steps to tackle the situation

by providing medicine and special teams were formed for first aid.

According to the official sources, over 80 patients are being treated in the Civil Hospital, Sukkur, over 100 patients in the Anwar Piracha Hospital and an equal number of patients are being treated in various private hospitals and clinics during the past three days.

Various officials of these hospitals said that parents brought between 20 and 25 children on a daily basis for the treatment of diarrhoea,adding that some of the patients were discharged in a day after providing them medical treatment while patients with a serious condition were to hospitals admitted for five to six days.

Well-informed sources told Dawn that at least 25 children had died in various hospitals of Rohri and Sukkur but the local health department was not maintaining record of their deaths.

The EDO (health), Sukkur, confirmed that between Feb 1 and Feb 22, over 90 cases of diarrhoea had been reported in two of the government hospitals, including 50 in the Civil Hospital, Sukkur, and 40 cases in the Government Anwar Piracha Hospital.

He said that he did not have any record of private clinics but admitted that between eight and 10 children were visiting each of the government hospitals on a daily basis.

These figures, he said, excluded the number of patients visiting the Taluka Hospital, Rohri, and basic health units located in various parts of the district.

He, however, denied having knowledge of diarhoea-related deaths in any of the government hospitals.