05 October 2004	Tuesday	19 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Oct 4: Though the recent rains in the city have considerably brought down temperature, the risk of outbreak of various viral diseases like diarrhoea, influenza and typhoid has doubled owing to possible contamination of underground water sources.

According to paediatricians, children are most vulnerable to such ailments as their parents or guardians are mostly unmindful of the contamination threat, and fail to ensure that the children must be provided with properly treated water for drinking, which should at least be boiled for approximately 10 minutes, so that outbreak of such diseases could be prevented effectively.

It is mainly this contaminated water that played havoc with children's health exposing them to high risk, owing to their weak immunity against the said ailments, Dr Mobina Agboatwala said.

The paediatrician associated with Civil Hospital also referred to indifference of parents to dissuade their off-springs from consuming edibles being sold by road-side hawkers or even at stalls in extremely unhygienic conditions.

According to her half-cooked items, over-ripe fruits, ice candies and milk candies (kulfi) made of polluted water and powdered milk further aggravate the condition of children.

Mothers should particularly ensure that their infants were, under all conditions, being breast fed by them, and the grown up ones were provided clean water, either boiled or treated through cost-effective strategies, she told APP.

It was also mentioned that even under normal conditions, frequent instances of sewage getting mixed into potable water, mainly due to faulty supply lines in the city, were reported, making it imperative for the citizens to take corrective measures.

According to doctors, with recent showers and puddles of stagnant water witnessed at every nook and corner in the city, providing ample breeding areas to mosquitoes as well as flies, there is also a growing risk for malaria and typhoid outbreak.

Doctors say that the food prepared under poor hygienic conditions when sold in open environments with all sorts of pollutants, does lead to serious health hazards for consumers, including adults and children. -APP