LOWER DIR: More than 450 people have been hospitalised in various parts of Upper Dir over the past few days due to gastroenteritis, prompting health authorities to launch preventive measures in the affected areas.

Officials told reporters that patients from Ushirai Dara, Sheringal, Barawal and other localities visited hospitals with complaints of severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea and gastrointestinal symptoms. The district administration and health department sent samples of the patients to laboratories.

Dr Imtiaz, medical superintendent of the District Headquarters Hospital Dir, said nearly 250 patients including children were brought to the hospital in a single day with similar symptoms.

Hospital sources said that more than 450 patients were admitted to various healthcare facilities across the district during the last two days.

Meanwhile, health authorities confirmed that at least 226 cases had been reported from different areas of Upper Dir, with Ushirai Dara being the worst-hit.

A mobile water testing laboratory of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Health Engineering Department reached Ushirai Dara and collected water samples from multiple locations to identify the source of contamination.

Officials also distributed chlorine tablets among residents to help disinfect drinking water supplies and prevent further spread of the disease.

Dr Shahid Abbas, in-charge of Tarpataar Hospital, said that 30 patients were brought to the facility in a single day, most of them children.

“A large number of the patients are children,” he said, urging parents to take precautions to ensure regarding hygiene.

According to Dr Abbas, contamination of drinking water by rainwater was believed to be the primary cause of the outbreak.

He advised residents to boil water before consumption, maintain proper hygiene, particularly among children.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026