Diarrhea in Pakistan may be the leading cause of child deaths, but it is an ailment that neither spares the young nor the elderly. Mortality from this seasonal malady is known to climb to more than 50,000 deaths every year, largely pegged on the lack of access to clean drinking water and better sanitation, which remains a major obstacle throughout Sindh.
It appears a wave of diarrhoea has gripped the country’s south-eastern province, while it is already suffering from an overwhelming heatwave. Owing to this two-pronged attack, it is feared that the death toll may be even higher this year as severe dehydration continues to put people of all ages under intensive care.
Seeing the severity of the disease, the Sindh Directorate General of Health Services has issued a letter to all District Health Officers of the province including Karachi, cautioning them of the crisis at hand. Per the letter, cases of diarrhoea and acute watery diarrhoea are being reported in huge numbers among children in Sindh, including Karachi, ever since the mercury climbed.
Taking notice of the increase in cases of diarrhoea in children under five years of age and older, the secretary of the health department said that they have been directed to provide complete statistics on diarrhoea and child mortality in the province.
In this regard, he has further urged liaising with other departments to ensure the provision of clean drinking water, better sanitation, and food security throughout the province.
“Diarrhoea training sessions should be organised for health care professionals. They should take ORS, Zinc, IV Fluids, doxycycline, and other essential medicines to the area. Establish health care control rooms and designate focal persons. Cases of diarrhoea and severe watery diarrhoea should be reported to the said department. The public should be informed about boiling drinking water, washing hands, and the use of clean food and drinking items,” he prescribed.
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According to Pakistan Paediatric Association (Sindh) President Professor Jalaluddin Akbar, the use of contaminated water is the prime culprit behind the surge in diarrhoea cases. Per him, in case of diarrhoea, salt and zinc deficiency also occur in the body leading to malnutrition. “As a result, children become more vulnerable and succumb to their diseases.
Per the professor, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and on the brink of water scarcity. He said that the existing infrastructure of clean water facilities and drainage in Pakistan was outdated due to which 70 per cent of the population was forced to drink contaminated water. “The situation in rural areas, including Karachi is very bad. Over 60 per cent of the population uses groundwater for drinking, which is said to be contaminated. Due to this various diseases including stomach infections are seen to be on the rise. Numerous questions have also been raised about the quality of groundwater in Sindh,” he commented.
Pakistan Paediatric Association’s Former President Prof Iqbal Memon, quoting Water Bone Diseases, said that water is used more in the summer season and polluted water is used indiscriminately in the country. “The use of contaminated water in Pakistan, diarrhoea and other stomach ailments are constantly on the rise, due to which 60 to 70 thousand children die. While 385,000 children up to five years of age die due to various diseases from the use of contaminated water and contaminated food. These largely include underweight children, those suffering from pneumonia, anaemia, diarrhoea, measles, and typhoid,” he told The Express Tribune emphasising on the reality of child mortality in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2022.
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