Incidences of water and food-borne infections on the rise

Rawalpindi: After the setting in of extreme hot weather, the incidences of water and food-borne infections including cholera, acute watery diarrhoea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid and amoebic dysentery have started registering a sharp increase.

The public and private sector healthcare facilities in this region of the country have been receiving a significant burden of both the child and adult patients with the complaints of water and food-borne diseases including diarrhoeal diseases, gastroenteritis, viral hepatitis (A&E), typhoid and paratyphoid fever along with other seasonal threats.

Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that almost every third patient visiting private or public sector healthcare facilities in the district is with the complaints of some of the water or food borne illnesses or gastrointestinal infection.

Health experts say that it is the right time to take measures to prevent massive outbreaks of water and food-borne infections in the coming days as the risk of transmission of endemic communicable diarrhoeal diseases is looming large in the existing hot weather conditions, which are conducive and much favourable for the growth of microorganisms.

It is important that in extreme hot weather conditions, water reservoirs become scarce whereas the need for water is increased. While there is inadequate and less water available for consumption, the poor supply leads to poor personal hygiene and sanitation and effective disposal of waste becomes difficult. Unsafe food handling leads to sporadic outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases while poor access to health care and poor nutritional status of children are additional factors that exacerbate the situation. Also hot and humid weather allows bacteria to grow faster which makes the situation more alarming.

Health experts believe that it is time to make public aware of the fact that proper sanitation, consumption of safe drinking water, improved hygiene and observance of safe food handling practices can play a vital role in mitigating outbreaks and diminishing case fatality rates.

Studies reveal that well over four million deaths every year around the globe can be attributed to water related diseases. Majority of victims of water contamination are children and it is believed that in Pakistan, around 250,000 children die of waterborne diseases every year.

Contact with contaminated water and its consumption causes a number of human illnesses. Diarrhoeal diseases outbreaks occur after contamination of drinking-water with fecal matter. Drinking contaminated water or eating food washed in contaminated water can cause typhoid fever. Hepatitis A and E infections are also transmitted by faecal-oral route and the rise in the number of cases with hepatitis A and E is also due to lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

It is worth mentioning here that the number of cases of acute watery diarrhoea is registering a sharp increase particularly in poor localities, slum areas and densely populated localities in the district. Experts say that the risk of diarrhoeal diseases outbreaks is always higher in poor localities where sewerage disposal is compromised. Water supply lines that pass through nearby sewage get contaminated causing epidemics.

Experts say that people should utilise water for drinking after boiling. Water for making ice at home should also be rolling boiled for at least five minutes. Using boiled water for drinking purposes, effectively washing vegetables and fruits before use, strictly observing hand hygiene with soap before eating meals and after going to the toilet, avoiding dehydration in diarrhoea and taking ORS can help prevent massive outbreaks of water and food-borne diseases.