May 07, 2007	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 6: The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration has directed to Capital Development Authority to fumigate all nullas, green belts and rural areas of Islamabad, to avert a possible outbreak of gastroenteritis.

In the same contest, the state-run-hospitals have also been directed to make extra arrangements as precautionary measures to cope with such an eventuality.

The deputy commissioner of Islamabad, Mohammad Ali, when contacted said these directives had been issued to prevent the outbreak of gastroenteritis.

He said the director health of the CDA and the district health officer (rural) had been directed to fumigate all necessary spots where the virus of gastroenteritis was likely to originate and multiply.

The areas where heaps of garbage were lying or disposed of and drains will be the fumigation team would focus, he added.

He said the hospitals —the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), the Federal Government Services Hospital and the Capital Development Authority Hospital— had been asked to arrange medicines and other necessary equipment and beds as precautionary measures to deal with gastroenteritis victims.

The sources in the hospitals said that about 15 to 20 victims of gastroenteritis visited the emergency ward for their treatment.

Gastroenteritis patients are treated with antibiotics and intra-venous (IV) drips.

The reason of the outbreak of gastroenteritis was unhygienic food and contaminated water. The main symptoms of viral gastroenteritis was watery diarrhoea and vomiting. People should avoid having unhygienic food and eat freshly-cooked food during the summer season to avoid falling victim to this disease.