Waterborne diseases surge across Upper Dir

Cases of gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases are continuing to rise in various parts of Upper Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with hundreds of affected people, including children, women and elderly persons, admitted to hospitals in Dir, Wari, Sheringal and Ashirei Dara over the past three days.

Health authorities said a large number of patients from Ashirei Dara, Sheringal, Barawal, Dir and adjoining areas were reporting to hospitals with severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Khalid Khan said water samples collected from 40 different locations across the district had been sent to Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar, for laboratory testing. Of these, 29 samples were declared unsafe for human consumption.

He said cholera had been confirmed in three patients, while other cases were believed to have been caused by diseases transmitted through contaminated water.

Dr Khalid said the health department was closely monitoring the situation and that the outbreak was currently under control. Severely affected patients were being admitted to hospitals, while those with mild symptoms were discharged after receiving treatment.

According to the DHO, the outbreak had persisted for around one and a half months, during which more than 2,000 patients suffering from gastroenteritis and related illnesses had been treated. He said that after receiving the laboratory reports, the tehsil municipal administration had carried out chlorination of water sources in the affected areas. However, he stressed that chlorination alone was not a permanent solution.

He urged residents to maintain strict hygiene, ensure food safety and use only clean drinking water.

Medical Superintendent of District Headquarters Hospital Dir, Dr Imtiaz, said more than 100 patients with similar symptoms were being brought to the hospital every day.