Monsoon woes: Health centres told to be prepared for disease outbreak

Waterborne diseases, typhoid, cholera, malaria and cases of snakebite usually increase in monsoon

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has directed medical centres working under it to make arrangements to deal with various waterborne diseases during the monsoon.   

CDA Directorate of Health Services (DHS) has instructed all the medical centres to stockpile first-aid kits and medicines.

DHS Director Dr Hasan Urooj said waterborne diseases, typhoid, cholera, malaria and cases of snakebite are usually reported more frequently during the monsoon season. He said CDA Hospital in G-6 was responsible to administer anti-venom vaccines in case of snakebite.

He said the directorate also carries out awareness campaigns during the season.

To a question about drinking water quality and recent rise in gastroenteritis cases, Urooj said the health directorate regularly checks water quality. He said they had instructed the water supply directorate to maintain a specified level of chlorine in the water in order to avoid gastroenteritis cases.

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) emergency department has received more than 9,000 gastroenteritis patients since April this year.

Doctors at the hospital said a large majority of the patients had consumed contaminated water.

Experts say rusty pipelines, improper disposal of sewage and cleaning mechanism are mainly responsible for contaminated water resources.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2015.