Among the deceased was a young woman who married one Attaur Rehman about a year ago. The rest of the unfortunate souls were children.
According to some residents of UC-2, Landhi Town, as many as 1,700 people have been suffering from gastro-enteritis after consuming water contaminated with sewage. Others claimed that more than 2,000 were affected.
Officials of the Town Health Office, Landhi, told Dawn that 1,730 patients had been treated at the camp set up by the Edhi Foundation immediately after the full scale of the tragedy dawned on people.
Dr Aslam Pervez, the Town Health Officer, said the patients who had become too weak and needed intensive care were shifted to the Sindh Government Hospital Korangi No 5, Landhi Medical Complex, the SESSI Hospital, in the town, and the Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre.
A total of 74 patients were treated at the Government Hospital Korangi No 5, said its medical superintendent. Thirty-one were admitted there until Saturday evening.
A spokesman for the provincial labour ministry told Dawn that 400 patients had been treated at the Sessi’s hospital and about 90 are still admitted there. Three patients have been admitted to the JPMC as their condition is stated to be critical.
Aurangzeb Khan, whose wife, Noor Bibi, and two children, Usman Zeb and Saeeda Bibi, fell victim to the disease, claimed that initially the Sessi Hospital was reluctant to admit the people suffering from gastro-enteritis. However, it relented when a mob led by a local politician roughed up the staff on duty.
It is also learnt that simple implements, like cannula, were not available at the Government Hospital Korangi No 5. The doctors on duty reportedly had to buy the same from their own pockets.
Dr Shakeel A. Siddiqui of the hospital said the disease responsible for the seven deaths was most definitely gastro-enteritis. He said the stool and urine samples of one patient had been tested at a pathological laboratory nearby.
“Results show that the patient is suffering from infection in the stomach and intestines,” he said. Elaborating, he said there were traces of puss and blood in the samples.
In response to a question, Dr Siddiqui said the test had been ordered to exclude cholera. Some of the patients brought to his hospital had fever, he added. “This also indicates that they were suffering from gastro-enteritis.”
Meanwhile, all the patients who were approached by Dawn for comments on Saturday were of the opinion that it was contaminated water which had caused the problem. They were Abdul Ali, Fazlur Rehman, Shireen Zada, Azizur Rehman, Toor Ali Khan, Fareedullah, Shakeel Khan and Aurangzeb.
MPA Maulana Ehsanullah Hazarvi, Nazim of Muslimabad Javed Azeem and Naib Nazim Javed Ali said the problem was an old one and the authorities had been informed of the situation obtaining in the area at least a couple of months ago.
An official of the water and sanitation department said investigations into the problem were underway. He went on to say that the pipes in the affected locality had not been laid by the staff of his department.