Cholera breaks out in Bajaur village

400 residents infected by the disease

BAJAUR:

As the faraway villages in the Kalam valley of Swat are struggling to deal with repeated outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases, a mountainous village in Bajaur’s Barang Tehsil has also been hit by the ailment.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that 400 patients have been recorded in the village and most of them are children.

“People use water from mountain streams and the water has turned murky in all the streams following the heavy downpour in the district. This murky water has caused the outbreak of disease,” they said.

District Emergency Officer (DEO) Bajaur Muhammad Saad Khan was informed about the outbreak who dispatched a Rescue 1122 team to deal with the situation.

“Rescue 1122 team has provided around 400 people with initial treatment. Some have been shifted to hospital for further treatment. All the patients are stable,” said a Rescue 1122 official, adding that the situation was now completely under control.

District Health Officer (DHO) Bajaur Dr Faisal Kamal said that eight teams have been sent to the village to treat the cholera patients who provided free medicine to the affected people.

He said the intense heat wave was the main cause of the outbreak.

It may be recalled that three women died in cholera outbreak in Kabal, Swat on July 31 which infected hundreds more in a mountainous village of Kalagay.

The health department claimed that cholera erupted in the village after monsoon rains and asked the local residents to use water after boiling it and keep their household neat and clean.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had directed the health department to provide free treatment to the patients.

A team of the health department, which visited the area, advised the district administration to chlorinate the water sources.

Earlier cholera was reported in Upper Dir and Kalam. In Kalam it killed at least two people.

“Cholera is a waterborne disease and it is mainly caused by the consumption of contaminated water. Mountain villages are really vulnerable to its outbreak in summer time,” said a health official, adding that people often use stream water in these areas.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2022.