K-P scrambles to rein in diarrhoea outbreak

Over 15 districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have been declared sensitive after the outbreak of acute diarrhea.

This month alone 9,407 cases have been reported in K-P. Malakand has been the worst hit with 2,605 cases, followed by Swat with 1,965, Peshawar with 920, Swabi 685, Haripur 665, Abbottabad 659, Charsadda 555, Manshera 522, Lakki Marwat 397, Buner 309, Shangla 88, Dir Upper 17 and Mardan with 20 cases.

A report released by the K-P Health Department said that in recent days, cholera cases as well as those of diarrhoea were reported from Tehsil Razar, Barkai in Swabi and Piro Khel UC in Khyber and some parts of Karak. Teams were dispatched to these localities.

“They established medical camps and treated local residents. These cases were reported from July 7 to July 10,” adds the report.

Similarly, 567 cases of blood dysentery were also reported from some parts of the K-P, including 210 in Malakand, 193 in Peshawar and 47 in Buner.

The report indicates that there is a sudden increase in Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) in the province and in some districts it has spread on an epidemic scale.

“In one week around 2,536 cases of SARI have been reported,” it reads, adding that in Swat 1,955, Swabi 304, and Peshawar 104 cases have come to light.

Other diseases are also on the rise across the province. 1,688 cases of influenza, 686 of pneumonia and 366 of typhoid have so far been reported.

Talking to The Express Tribune an official of the K-P Health Department said that all the district health officers (DHOs) of the 15 affected districts have been directed to send response teams to the areas where disease outbreak has been reported. They have been told that all such cases should be reported to the headquarters without delay in order to ensure a coordinated and quick response.

It may be recalled that in Kalam one person died and several hundred were hospitalized after an outbreak of cholera last week.

Similarly, dozens more were hospitalized in Dir Upper.

When contacted a medical specialist Dr Shams Zaman Wazir said that in summer diarrheoa cases register a spike because Rota virus spreads fast in the warm weather.

He said that people go out and consume cheap but substandard cold drinks which give rise to viral diseases such as cholera.

“When children bathe in the canals the muddy water also causes diseases. We see cases of heat stroke too in this season,” he said, adding that hand washing with soap is the key to staying healthy.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2022.