KARACHI, July 22: Gastroenteritis and conjunctivitis have spread in an epidemic form, whereas the incidence of malaria and diarrhoea are also on the rise in the city owing to the prevailing unhygienic condition, impure water and food and high rate of pollution.
At a time, when conjunctivitis has assumed an alarming proportion in the city, almost all Sindh government hospitals and city government hospitals are running short of antibiotic drops required to treat such patients.
Terming the conjunctivitis an infectious viral disease, a prominent ophthalmologist, Prof. Dr. Idrees Adhi of Dow Medical College and Civil Hospital Karachi, cautioned the conjunctivitis’ patients to avoid indiscriminate use of steroids, especially those which contain drops such as Betnesol and Maxibex drops.
In this regard, he pointed out that if 100 affected people continued to pour in the steroid containing drops for a month, pressure in the eyes of 30 per cent of them would shoot up so high that they could become victim of glaucoma. Even, if they stop using such steroids after a month, five per cent of them would fall prey to steroid-induced glaucoma and have irreversible vision loss, he added.
“Though a conjunctivitis patient does not lose his vision, if victims of the disease think their vision is being affected, they should immediately contact their ophthalmologists,” he said. As a matter of conjunctivitis’ virus starts dying out within five to seven days but, he said, such patients remain contagious for two to three weeks and hence they should avoid sharing towels, handkerchiefs, besides avoiding light, dust and smoke.
Asked if victim of conjunctivitis is recommended antibiotic drops, Prof Adhi replied in the affirmative, saying that mostly antibiotic drops are recommended to such patients to kill other bacteria of eyes.
He advised the people that if a few members of a family were affected with the eye diseases, they should preferably use separate antibiotic eye drops. If patients used the same bottle of drops, the disease would keep on circulating among them and thus linger on, he added.
He also advised the people to wash their eyes at least three or four times a day.
GASTROENTERITIS: Expressing concern over rise in gastroenteritis and diarrhoea cases in the city, chairman of department of paediatrics and child health at Aga Khan University, Prof Dr Gaffar Billo, said that though the cases of gastroenteritis and diarrhoea were reported throughout the year owing to dirty water and impure food, these diseases had increased in the aftermath of recent rains and prevailing unhygienic conditions.
Admitting that gastroenteritis and conjunctivitis has spread in the city in an epidemic form, Dr Billo urged the citizens not to share towels, handkerchiefs with others, avoid eating over- ripe fruits and must use boiled water.
He said infectious diarrhoea was spreading because of unhygienic conditions prevailing in the city.
He advised the parents to ensure that their children must wash their hands with soap before and after taking meals, their nails were regularly cut and maintain hygienic standards.
About the gastroenteritis, he said that victims of the disease used to get recovered in four to five days, provided they take a simple diet of rice, milk and banana, besides they must use O.R.S. to avoid loss of water and salt in their body.
MALARIA: At a time, when gastroenteritis has assumed alarming proportion, doctors apprehend that malaria and other infectious diseases also might break out in an epidemic form, as the number of mosquitoes and flies is increased due to accumulation of stagnant rainwater and overflowing gutters.
Doctors urged the concerned authorities to immediately take measures aimed at killing these harmful insects, otherwise, a large number of infectious diseases would spread in the city.
