Health: Committee to look into appendicitis outbreak

A total of 50 patients from Hadda village have been operated on at the hospitals in Sargodha and 4 patients have died.

SARGODHA:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered the DCO Azmat Mehmood to set up a five-member inquiry committee headed by Health Director Dr Anees Ahmed to ascertain the cause of an appendicitis epidemic in the district.

According to health officials, the disease has affected dozens of villagers 20 km away from Hadda village where several men, women and children have been affected by appendicitis for the last two months. A total of 50 patients from Hadda village have been operated on at the government and private hospitals in Sargodha and four patients have died.

EDO (health) Dr Habib Ahmed said that a temporary health camp had been set up at the village and that there were also medical vans in surrounding neighbourhoods. He said that free medicines as well as an ultra sound facility was available at the camp. He said that the Health Department would provide other test facilities to appendicitis patients free of cost until their treatment was complete.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2011.