Three more fall prey to jaundice

Doctors say large number of jaundice cases continue to be reported on a daily basis

RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least three more people died of jaundice after a deadly epidemic hit Rahim Yar Khan District earlier this month. Data collected by Express News showed that the total number of casualties has risen to 75.

Doctors at Sheikh Zayed Hospital told Express News that three patients suffering from jaundice had been admitted to the health facility. However, their condition continued to deteriorate and they later died at the hospital.

The victims were identified as 22-year-old Taj Bibi, Rehmat Mai, 80, and 47-year-old Muhammad Aijaz.

The doctors said that a large number of jaundice cases continue to be reported at the health facility on a daily basis. They stated that the medical staff was utilizing all the available resources to provide treatment to save the lives of patients. Meanwhile, jaundice cases were also reported in different hospitals across the district, including Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Sadiqabad, Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Khanpur and Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Liaquatpur.

Earlier, officials from the local health department conducted jaundice tests on people. Out of the 100 that were tested, 95 were found to be suffering from the disease. This has lead to a rise in the number of jaundice related deaths in the entire district.

The only hospital in the entire district massive enough to facilitate all the patients is the Shiekh Zayed Hospital, where three to five patients, affected by the disease, are reported on a daily basis.

Data collected from Shiekh Zayed Hospital stated that at least 50 people have lost their lives in the district during May, while fears of more casualties cannot be ruled out.

Experts added that the core reason behind the rise of this contagion is the increase in the levels of arsenic in underground water.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2018.