KARACHI, May 30: Karachi has not been spared of the gastroenteritis cases that are being reported from all over the country. While Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hyderabad and Jamshoro seem to be the worst hit, the health authorities here have been alerted to a possible outbreak in the metropolis.
In Punjab, the main cause of the outbreak has been attributed to the mixing of sewage with potable water. In Sindh, a Dawn report, citing some experts, says that the water being supplied to the province by four canals – all offshoots of the Kotri Barrage – are largely responsible for the massive outbreak of the disease in the interior. It states that the non-availability of fresh water downstream Kotri over the past five months has rendered water, which is being supplied to cities and towns, unfit for human consumption.
In the wake of the current crisis in Hyderabad, the district nazim had requested Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Arbab Rahim to direct the provincial irrigation authorities to release fresh water downstream Kotri Barrage so that the high levels of dissolved salts in the water are reduced. At present, these levels (1,000ppm) greatly exceed the limits (500ppm) set by the World Health Organisation.
According to Hyderabad DCO Muhammad Hussain Syed, the Sindh government has directed the irrigation department to release 5,000 cusecs of water downstream Kotri Barrage.
It should be noted that the same reservoir supplies water to Karachi too. Although the city runs the same health risks, posed by the presence of dissolved salts in the stagnant water, as other Sindh cities, the presence of a larger population and several industrial units in and near the city means that there are greater levels of human waste and industrial effluents in the water.
The good news is that health experts in Karachi say that the city has not yet fallen prey to an outbreak of gastroenteritis.
Dr Seemin Jamali, the director of accident and emergency department at the Jinnah
Postgraduate Medical Centre, is of the view that such cases are usually reported from May through August and that there is no need for alarm at the moment.
Dr Jamali says that of the 600 medical cases that her department receives each day, 35 to 40 relate to gastroenteritis, which is normal for this time of the year.
In Karachi, the majority of the cases are being reported from Malir, Korangi, Ranchore Lines, Hub Chowk, Burns Road, Bhim Pura, Landhi, Sachal Goth, Sohrab Goth, Shafiq Colony, Usmanabad, Ghasmandi and Lyari.
Dr Tariq Ayubi, in charge of the emergency department at the Civil Hospital, says that in the past week almost 100 cases of gastroenteritis were diagnosed at the Civil Hospital Karachi. “Gastroenteritis is not a fatal disease and can be easily cured if treatment is administered promptly,” he says.
Both doctors maintain that there have been no deaths from gastroenteritis at their hospitals over the past week.
Nevertheless, Dr Jamali advises those suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting and fever to see a doctor immediately so that in case of dehydration they can be administered injectable drugs to compensate for water and mineral loss in the body. “We are prepared for any eventuality that might strike,” she says.
She cautions the media against using the term ‘gastro’ for ‘gastroenteritis’. ‘Gastro’, she explains, means stomach, whereas, ‘gastroenteritis’ refers to the inflammation of the stomach and intestine, which is what, is happening in the cases being reported these days.
Medical opinion holds that the consumption of contaminated water, fermented food items, uncooked and unwashed vegetables and fruit are the main causes of the spread of the disease in the city. Most people fall prey to the infection because of unhealthy eating habits and widespread ignorance about the condition.
With the gruelling summer months ahead, people are being advised to drink boiled water, avoid stale food, and consume even refrigerated food with care. Uncooked food items should be avoided altogether, say the doctors.
