Source: Dawn
Date: Thursday, 16 Sep, 2010
KARACHI, Sept 15: Although the government and community efforts in feeding the thousands of homeless flood survivors are commendable, unfortunately little efforts are being made to improve the conditions the internally displaced persons have been living in for about a month.
The situation has, consequently, given rise to a number of health problems at the city’s flood relief camps.
Visits to the camps showed that the situation was so deplorable at many places that it was not possible even to go inside some sections of the relief camps as the whole area was stinking with foul smell.
Speaking to Dawn, health staff deputed at the sites said that IDPs must be educated about basic hygiene and provided with items needed for personal hygiene.
“There is no difference between the life of these flood survivors and the life of an animal. And this unfortunate reality is a major obstacle to the proper management of the IDPs,” says Ms Zaidi while attending a patient at a flood relief camp in Gadap Town.
“But this is not their fault. The blame for their continued uncivilized existence solely lies on the politicians who never made use of their means to educate their constituents and improve their living standards.”
A lady health visitor, Ms Zaidi (name changed to protect identity) seems to be seriously perturbed over the camp’s conditions. “They just have no sense of what basic hygiene means to their survival. If you go to the rooftop, you will find the entire surface littered with human excreta because they are not using toilets. And if some of them are using the facility, they don’t bother to wash the place properly. This attitude makes us feel miserable,” she continues.
What Ms Zaidi is experiencing is not an isolated case. Similar conditions prevail at other state-run relief camps also.
For more details: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/unhygienic-conditions-cause-skin,-eye-infections-at-camps-690
1 comment:
According to Arizona eye care, exposure from camps and contact lens wearers particularly are vulnerable to pink eye, which can be caused by infections from poor hygiene in the handling of lenses, solutions and cases. Also, some soft contact lens wearers can develop an abnormal immune response that can cause giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC). Anyone who starts sneezing at the first sign of ragweed likely is familiar with allergy symptoms such as a pink eye, eye irritation and itchiness related to non-contagious allergic conjunctivitis.
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