LARKANA, April 18: The speakers at a seminar on Wednesday stressed the need for adopting disease early warning system (DEWS) and warned that if timely measures were not taken 34 to 76 million people could die of waterborne diseases in the world by 2015.

Speaking at a seminar Dr Mohammed Najeeb Khan Durrani, surveillance officer of World Health Organisation (WHO) and Dr Jameel Ansari said that overpopulation, large population pockets, which remained unvaccinated, coupled with drug resistance developed by irrational use of antibiotics gave rise to the infectious diseases.

They emphasised the need for developing effective network of DEWS with the sole aim of containing the underlying danger and controlling the risk factors.

The said that March to May was the peak occurrence season of bird flu, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Leishmaniasis, Measles and Meningitis.

They called for following the DEWS so that advance measures could be adopted to avert any epidemic in any area of the country and said that the government was seriously considering including private sector in the integrated surveillance system.

They said that 3.9 million people died of infectious diseases every year in the world, 3.4 million deaths occurred due to waterborne diseases while 2.2 million died of diarrhea.

Surprisingly, they said that at present 1.1 billion populations in the world had no access to improved water supply and 2.4 million had no access to basic sanitation.

Most of the deaths were reported under the age of five, they said and added that 65 per cent deaths could be prevented by hygiene and sanitation according to fresh estimates of WHO.

About current situation in developing Asia they said that 19 per cent population lacked improved water supply while Asian Development Bank said that 830 million people did not have safe drinking water while 30 per cent urban population and 70 per cent rural people had no access to basic sanitation. This figure roughly exceeded two billion, the speakers said.

They said that under the DEWS so far NIH had trained 3000 health personnel and this programme continues.