Young woman dies, 70 more diagnosed with hepatitis in Mithi

According to the medical superintendent of Nangar Parkar tehsil, Dr Mola Bux Junejo, around 236 people were tested for the condition. PHOTOS: EXPRESS

A five-member team of doctors visited the village after the news was published in a Sindhi newspaper, Daily Kawish, and confirmed that 58 villagers suffered from hepatitis.

According to the medical superintendent of Nangar Parkar tehsil, Dr Mola Bux Junejo, around 236 people were tested for the condition. Out of them, 24 people were found to have hepatitis B while the 34 results were still pending. He suspected that they might test positive for hepatitis A.

He suspected that the condition might have spread because of quacks in the village who reused syringes or contaminated drinking water. According to Lal Muhammad, who has hepatitis, the village has faced problems of drinking water for years.

Around 1,200 people live in the village which has no electricity. The only well which has drinking water is about two kilometers away while the other 10 which are in the village have contaminated water.

“There is no water supply scheme by the government. There are 10 reservoirs, which were set up by welfare organizations, but there is no water in them,” said a social worker, Obayo Junejo. “These reservoirs could supply water to several villages.”

Dr Mola Bux suspected that hepatitis will continue to spread in the summer. “The disease can spread if the situation is not controlled.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2012.