Health experts fear outbreak of diseases

Source: Dawn

Date: August 03, 2010

PESHAWAR: Health experts on Monday feared outbreak of food and water-borne diseases in the flood-affected areas and called for urgent remedial measures.

The tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar including Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) have started receiving patients from the flood-affected areas of Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera districts.

The doctors of the three hospitals feared patients’ burden on the teaching hospitals would increase after floodwater receded and roads in the affected districts of the province reopened. The experts said food and water-borne diseases could particularly cause pandemics in the flood-devastated areas as drinking water there was contaminated, making it unsafe for human consumption.

A noted gastroenterologist, Prof Dr Ijaz Mohammad Khan, who is head of Gastroenterology Department at the HMC in Peshawar, told The News that besides water-borne diseases, the flood-affected people were vulnerable to other ailments such as diarrhea, cholera, fever and skin diseases. Dr Ijaz feared that Hepatitis A and E could also spread in the flood-hit areas.

He said pregnant women usually suffered from Hepatitis A in the flood-affected areas. He said situation for pregnant women could become unfavourable in the affected districts. Dr Ijaz Mohammad said the flood victims should use boiled water, hastening to add that it would be a bit difficult for the affected population.

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