A cholera and diarrhoea outbreak has bought chaos as 160 people, mostly children, were brought in sick in the last three days.
Upper Dir Executive District Officer (EDO) Health Dr Iftikhar Ahmad told the media that the outbreak started around three days ago. He said a child died due to cholera, after which the outbreak spread in Attan Darra and Dherai. A medical team was dispatched to the areas to investigate the situation, said Ahmad.
The number of patients started increasing on Monday and Tuesday when more than 100 children were shifted to Warhai in Upper Dir and Timergara hospital in Lower Dir, while around 10 children had to be taken to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital in Swat. So far, about 160 cases of cholera and diarrhoea among children have been reported.
“We will soon overcome the situation, as teams have been dispatched to the area” Ahmad said, explaining the disease has turned into an epidemic, causing many people to fall ill. Ahmad said he visited the areas himself to analyse and observe the situation. Two teams have been dispatched so far and two more teams will be sent with vaccination and initial treatment kits to the areas.
However, Salman Hussain, who shifted his aged mother and his younger brother to Swat, tells a different tale.
He said they went to Warhai, the headquarters of Upper Dir, to get medicine but the EDO, along with other officials, was absent. He claimed no one wants to come to the area due to Ramazan.
This forced people to take their affected children to Timergara, headquarters of Lower Dir. An emergency was declared in the hospital, and those who couldn’t be admitted in the hospital were referred to Peshawar and Swat hospitals due to their critical condition.
People were advised through an announcement at a mosque to use boiled water for drinking and to maintain hygiene.
The EDO said even though he and his team provided trainings and workshops on how to stay healthy and hygienic, diseases continue to spread. “It’s all because of a lack of awareness and poor hygienic conditions,” he remarked.
Also read:Tremors felt in Upper, Lower Dir
