Pakistan is ranked amongst the top seven countries with the highest number of cases of diarrhoea
ABSOR, TURBAT: Pakistan is ranked amongst the top seven countries with the highest number of cases of diarrhoea and the increasing number of deaths associated with it.
At a time when the health department is yet to come up with a comprehensive strategy to bring reforms in the healthcare system in Pakistan, diarrhoea has hit the country hard.
A recent survey claimed that diarrhoea was the fourth leading cause of deaths in Pakistan in 2016. According to the statistics compiled by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, it continues to be a leading killer of children claiming lives of more than 53,000 annually. The survey also found that consumption of unhygienic food, fruits, drinks and contaminated water were the major causes of the disease. Majority of the patients diagnosed with diarrhoea also fell victim to it because of extreme hot weather conditions and use of substandard water.
It is high time that both the federal and provincial governments took effective steps to save the country’s children from diarrhoea.
Our media can also play a role in creating awareness as it stands as the bridge between the government and masses. We should together highlight that preventive measures include washing hands before eating, rotavirus vaccine and taking Vitamin A supplement that increases gut immunity.
Muhammad Bakhtiyar
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2018.
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