KARACHI, Oct 1: A large number of the inhabitants of coastal villages are desperately awaiting government help against malaria, which has claimed five lives over the past 15 days.
Worst-hit is Deh Allah Bano in the Gabo Pat union council, Keamari Town. The epidemic has crippled livelihood activities in the affected areas and dozens of families are battling disease and hunger.
“Every second person is ill with mild to high-grade fever, headache, dizziness and nausea,” said Gul Khan, a primary school teacher in Haji Noor Mohammed village, who is ill himself. “Five people, including three children, have died but no government aid is in sight.”
Referred to as the ‘Thar of Karachi’, UC Gabo Pat has a population of around 250,000 people but enjoys no basic facilities or civic infrastructure. The people live in small huts close to their cattle and survival depends on fishing and scanty cultivation. Village ponds filled by the annual rains constitute the only source of drinking water, which puts villagers at great risk of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and gastroenteritis.
Malaria-related deaths have occurred in Ali Baksh, Moosa Daulat Faqir, Hussaini Sahib Khan, Haji Mohammed and Noor Mohammed villages, all located in Deh Allah Bano which has a total of 18 villages. Each village has a population of over a thousand people.
No medical aid at hand
While the residents this writer spoke to did not know the name of the illness resulting in the deaths, they said that mosquitoes had invaded heir homes and the victims suffered fits and severe fever. They had been taken to a doctor once but abject poverty did not allow further treatment. When this correspondent visited the villages, dozens of families had left to seek treatment in Mauripur since all the government-run dispensaries in UC Gabo Pat have been closed for a long time.
“Mauripur is a 45-minute drive from here,” said 50-year-old Rehmatullah. “Finding transport is a major problem and delays treatment. The local bus leaves at 7am and returns at 4pm. In case of an emergency, we have to arrange private transport which can cost between Rs600 and Rs800 a trip,” he said, adding that the disease had deprived the villagers of what little they earned.
“The men are unable to fish while the women have abandoned cultivation,” said Hasina, who has five children and lost her husband after last year’s rains. “Although every monsoon is followed by disease in our villages, this season is proving much tougher in terms of sickness and fatalities.”
That the illness threatening the lives of these citizens is malaria was confirmed by Dr Kishor Kumar, who runs a private clinic in Mauripur. “Over the past fortnight, I have treated over a thousand malaria patients, mainly from the coastal villages. These poverty-stricken people are vulnerable to disease since most of them suffer from malnutrition and anaemia. It is common for children to show stunted growth and low-weight birth,” he said.
According to a member of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Surriaya Talpur, the town health officer was informed of the situation and he promised a free medical camp as well as a fumigation drive in the area. “But so far, there has been no government action,” she complained. “The situation demands immediate attention since delays can cost more lives. Furthermore, the people should be provided alternative income resources until they are able to resume their jobs.”
