miércoles, 23 de diciembre de 2009

RSOE EDIS: Pakistan - Epidemic - 2009.12.24

RSOE EDIS

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service


Budapest, Hungary

RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

2009-12-24 04:31:19 - Epidemic - Pakistan

EDIS CODE: EP-20091224-24290-PAK
Date & Time: 2009-12-24 04:31:19 [UTC]
Area: Pakistan, State of Sindh, Karachi-wide,

'!!! WARNING !!!

Number of Infected person(s): 1218

Not confirmed information!

Description:

A large number of people living in the coastal areas of the city, majority of them children and women, are suffering from various skin diseases such as scabies, ectoparasite skin infection and eczema due to polluted water and lack of hygiene. The residents of these areas are mostly poor fishermen, and according to a local non-governmental organisation, Kalachi Social Viable Association (KSVA), the skin diseases have spread on a vast scale in coastal areas such as Rehri Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi and other areas of Bin Qasim Town. The organisation has estimated that 1,218 children of 720 families in Ibrahim Hyderi alone have been inflicted with skin diseases. Their initial findings reveal that water pollution and lack of hygiene could possibly be the cause behind the outbreak of the diseases, while a lack of proper state-run healthcare facilities in these areas has worsened the situation. “Every third adult and second child in Ibrahim Hyderi is suffering from a skin disease and it seems that outbreak is spreading rapidly,” said Dr Taju Nisa Farooquie alias Farah, a doctor at a medical centre run by KSVA. “Most of the skin disease patients are poor and cannot afford proper treatment, thus their family members also become affected,” said Farah, who attends around 100 patients daily, majority of them suffering from skin diseases.

This scribe visited several affected families and observed that the diseases have reaced epidemic levels in some areas. A teenager fisherman Imran Dhorai, resident of Kariyani Paro of Ibrahim Hyderi, was born with rashes on his skin. The rashes became so severe that as he grew up, almost all of his body became covered with strange patches. The disease rendered him unable to continue his profession as a fisherman and he had started working as a mechanic in an auto garage. The disease also destroyed his social life as he feels strange while mingling with his peers and also feels that he would never get married. “Sometimes, I can’t even sleep...during summers I feel as if my body is on fire and in winters, scaly pieces of skin shed from my body that feels unbearable,” he told this scribe with teary eyes. He consulted several doctors and also visited hakeems. He even went to take a bath in natural hot water fountain in Manghopir that is believed to heal skin diseases, but all went in vain. The disappointed fisherman even resorted to consulting faith healers, but even that did not work.

Another fisherman blamed the increasing sea pollution for the situation and said the pouring of untreated highly toxic effluent directly into the sea has created the problem. He backed his claim by saying that hundreds of industrial units in the Korangi Industrial Area release effluent directly into Arabian Sea through the Korangi Nullah. Dr Ashok Kumar, who also works at the KSVA medical centre, said there is a lack of proper hygiene in these areas, and this could be one of the reasons behind fungus infections. “Most of the residents in these coastal areas are fishermen and therefore lack of hygiene and polluted water could be the reason behind the skin diseases.” Bin Qasim Town Town Nazim Jan-e-Alam Jamot said there are several families afflicted with skin diseases in his town. “There are state-run hospitals in these areas, but they lack medicines and proper funding,” he said. “We are arranging a medical camp in Ibrahim Hyderi for immediate relief of patients,” said Kiran Jamot, a KSVA office-bearer. Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed said his department has arranged two camps in Ibrahim Hyderi for the patients.

The name of Hazard: Various skin diseases
Species: Human
Status: Confirmed

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