Epidemic: Four fall prey to jaundice in Rahim Yar Khan

More than 100 people have died so far due to the deadly disease

RAHIM YAR KHAN: At least four people died of jaundice on Friday after battling for their lives at Sheikh Zayed Hospital. The total number of casualties caused by the disease has exceeded 100, data collected by Express News revealed.

Doctors at Sheikh Zayed Hospital said that four patients, suffering from jaundice, were admitted to the health facility.

However, their condition continued to deteriorate and they later died at the hospital.

The victims were identified as 40-year-old Maqsoodan Bibi, a resident of Basti Bhong, 35-year-old Maryam Bibi, a resident of Kot Samabah, Iqbal Nagar resident Amanullah, 65, and 72-year-old Abdul Ghafoor of Jinnah Park.

Earlier, when officials from the local health department conducted jaundice tests on 100 people, it turned out that 95 of them had the disease. And now, there is a rise in the deaths related to jaundice in the entire district.

The only big hospital in the entire district 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 more casualties cannot be ruled out.

Health experts said that the arsenic underground water, reuse of syringes, pollution and lack of filtration plants play a leading role in spreading this deadly disease. They added that raising awareness and concerted measures for prevention could help overcome the outbreak.

They added that a second reason was the lack of a filtration plant in 90% of the district, forcing the local population to consume arsenic water.

When Express News collected and reviewed test reports of the district’s three rural health centres, two district headquarters hospitals and Shiekh Zayed Hospital, it transpired that 63% of the population had the disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2018.