25% patients reaching PIMS with gastro

25% patients reaching PIMS with gastro

Islamabad: With the setting in of hot and humid weather in this region of the country, the incidence of gastroenteritis generally known as water and food borne bacterial infection is on the rise and Pakistan Institute of Medical Science have been receiving significant number of patients with the infection.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Thursday has revealed that around 20 to 25 per cent of total patients visiting gastroenterology department of PIMS are with complaints of water and food borne infections and the number is increasing continuously.

The cases of diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis, typhoid and hepatitis A and E are on the rise after the setting in of monsoon and it is mainly because most of the people do not take proper preventive measures to avoid seasonal infections, said Deputy Director at PIMS Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday.

He said there is a need to create awareness among public about various aspects of monsoon-related health threats and people must be aware of the fact that hot and humid weather allows bacteria to grow faster.

If we want to avoid a severe outbreak of seasonal infections in the days to come, it is time to take necessary preventive measures and to educate public on how to avoid seasonal health threats, he said.

He said the water having bacterial and chemical contamination is unsafe for human consumption. During monsoon, it is a must to protect water from contamination and drinking water must be sterilized by boiling or chlorination as ground water becomes contaminated due to frequent rains.

Dr. Khawaja said the most common sources of water contamination are leaky or rusty underground water pipelines, cross-connections between water supply lines and sewerage drainage pipelines, improperly treated sewage disposal, agricultural chemicals and seepage in to underground water aquifers and unclean storage tanks.

Washing hands properly with soap particularly after going to toilet and before having foodstuff or meals are the keys to avoid water-borne diseases such as viral hepatitis AE, typhoid and other gastrointestinal infections that have already started hitting population in the region, he said.

He said the major causes behind spread of gastrointestinal diseases during monsoon are consumption of unsafe drinking water, unfit foodstuff and poorly stored cooked food.

He suggested that everyone should use boiled or chlorinated water for drinking. Water must be brought to ‘rolling boil’ for 5-10 minutes. Kitchen utensils should not be washed from stagnant source of water. Water should be stored in clean and covered utensils and it is important that ice is contaminated by dirty cans, dirty covers and dirty containers so it should be kept clean, he said.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/343938-25-patients-reaching-pims-with-gastro