Too many trips to the bathroom spoil vacations


Tufail Ahmed June 18, 2010

KARACHI: If parents were not being kept busy enough by their children since the start of schools' summer holidays, they now will be given the wave of diarrhoea among children.

Hundreds of children are being taken daily to the Sindh Government Children's Hospital, the National Institute of Child Health, Civil Hospital Karachi, the Sindh Government New Karachi Hospital and Lyari Hospital.

According to doctors, diarrhoea is caused by the use of unclean water and unhygienic food that is prepared and sold in an unhealthy environment - an equation that becomes worse in the summers given that the season is more conducive to germs.

Medical superintendent (MS) of the Sindh Government Children Hospital, Dr Asif Zaman, said that 150 children suffering from diarrhoea are brought to the hospital every day. Vomiting and motions lead to a salt deficiency in the body which can prove deadly, he added.

Meanwhile the MS at the Sindh Government Hospital in New Karachi, Dr Hassan Alam, reported that more than 60 children were treated for diarrhoea in their outpatient department (OPD) daily while the executive director of National Institute of Child Health, Professor Jamal Raza, said that the OPD receives 100 cases every day. More than 70 diarrhoea cases are reported in the emergency ward and OPD of Civil Hospital while about 100 cases are reported in the Lyari Hospital.

Paediatrician Dr Khalid Zuberi said that ORS should be given to a child suffering from diarrhoea while another doctor, Dr Zarin Majeed, advised mothers to learn a few tricks and tips on keeping their families healthy during the summer season.

Healthy advice for the season

The enervating heat of the sun changes the body's temperature while the humidity in the city has people drenched in sweat. Perspiring at this rate results in decreased salts in the body, which can be harmful, doctors explained. Young children and old people alike should be told to stay out of the sun during peak hours of the day since heatstroke is a likely possibility.

To protect oneself against heatstroke, medical experts advise that intake of water and ORS should be increased. Lemon should be added to any sherbets made at home while outside drinks should be avoided. The reason, doctors explained, is that the high temperatures cause bacteria to multiply over these drinks, consuming which can lead to gastroenteritis and other diseases.

Everyone should drink around 15 glasses of liquid every day.

Unpackaged and unhygienic food should not be bought from markets because all viruses such as diarrhoea, typhoid, dysentery and others are more prevalent in the summers.

Dr Jamil Akhtar, a paediatrician at the Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi, said, "Drinking polluted water during the summers can lead to diarrhoea and other diseases in children and adults." The peak hours of the afternoon should be spent indoors but if it important to go out, then people should cover their heads and necks.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2010.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ