Amoeba alerts

The outbreak of Naegleria fowleri, which causes a fatal brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, seems to have spread from Karachi to other areas, with the latest deaths occurring of people belonging to Hub and Thatta. And, voila, we have yet another committee with officials who have been assigned different tasks to look into the matter. On the other hand, citizens continue to fear the death grip of the brain-eating amoeba, due to the perpetual lack of preparedness of the authorities, who in the past as well have lagged behind in combating any man-made or natural catastrophe.

The experience that was gained in dealing with Naegleria last year should have told us that the infection could return again. At the same time, the authorities should know the nature of the amoeba by now, which thrives in warm standing water, so as to take preventative measures. By comparison, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between the 10-year span from 2005 to 2014, only 35 cases were reported in the US, despite hundreds of millions of people visiting pools and other recreational swimming sites annually. Clearly, in Pakistan, and in Karachi in particular where most of the deaths have been reported, officials have failed to adequately prepare for and combat the disease. The lackadaisical attitude and overconfidence of officials will need to be eliminated in order to save lives. While officials have claimed that chlorination drives have been carried out in Karachi, it is clear that these were inadequate. Chlorination should be mandated across households and businesses and it behoves the health authorities to go as far as providing chlorination tablets to households, especially with the ongoing issue of the shortage of water supply in the city, which renders Naegleria to be even more threatening.

We should not have to face basic problems such as a deficiency in safe water supply and the authorities need to take on board experts who can document findings and devise long-term preventative solutions for the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2015.

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