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HYDERABAD, Aug 11: World Health Organization officials have said the outbreak of hepatitis-E or diarrhoea cannot be ruled out following the recent contaminated water crisis as incubation period of the disease was one to two months.
The officials - Dr Ghulam Nabi Qazi, provincial operations officer, Dr Qutubuddin Kakar, regional rollback malaria (RBM) officer and Dr Naqeebullah of the epidemic investigation cell of the National Institute of Health - were speaking at a one-day seminar on Disease Early Warning System (DEWS), organized by the Sindh health department in collaboration with the WHO at the Hyderabad Civil Hospital on Wednesday.
They called for prevention of such diseases at domestic level, keeping in mind the fact that a huge amount was required to overhaul the water system. They said the water quality in areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi was more or less the same that was being supplied to people in Hyderabad.
Calling for strengthening the DEWS, they said it could help predict outbreak of diseases, including hepatitis-E, as people had consumed highly contaminated water. They said doctors should be careful about the outbreak of jaundice and they should fill in the weekly chart of DEWS at their hospitals.
The officials referred to recent research reports which said water should be boiled for 20 minutes before use. They also urged doctors to report DEWS on time because the purpose of the system would be lost in case of a delay in such reporting. They added that this system had proved very effective in surveillance of diseases and could contain the rate of mortality.
They said the quality of water had not improved in Hyderabad to a great extent as there were reports that "Coli" form of bacteria was found in water. They said water was not fit for human consumption if there was a single part per million (PPM) of "E.Coli" or "Coli" in water.
They said desilting of lagoons and installation of chlorinators at 16 different points would help identify mixing of sewerage lines with water supply lines. They said people and doctors would have to depend on prevention as health facilities lacked required resources.
They added that housewives should adopt some simple tips of healthcare. They said doctors should educate people about precautions while using water. Civil hospital medical superintendent Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi also spoke at the inaugural session.
MEETING: The additional health secretary (technical), Iqbal Daudpota, held a meeting with Hyderabad Civil Hospital medical superintendent Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi and the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences registrar on Tuesday.
The meeting discussed the issue of postgraduate students in the wake of a complaint of Dr Jatoi that the students were not performing their duties, it was learnt here on Wednesday.
The meeting decided that postgraduate students after being admitted to the university would first report to the hospital MS so that their attendance could be regularly checked. The MS would also submit progress reports of the students.
The MS said the hospital was running short of doctors and unlimited number of students in one ward was creating problems. The additional secretary for health gave an assurance that six vacancies of woman medico-legal officers at the hospital would be filled.
