Gastroenteritis continues to haunt population

Rawalpindi :Gastroenteritis, water and food-borne viral and bacterial infections are continuously haunting population in the district and the allied hospitals are receiving significant influx of patients with severe complications of the infection.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Sunday has revealed that nearly 10 to 15 per cent of all patients visiting the three teaching hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital are with the complications of gastroenteritis.

On average, the allied hospitals have to admit 50 to 60 adult patients of gastroenteritis with severe complications daily, said Vice Chancellor at Rawalpindi Medical University Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar while talking to ‘The News’ on Sunday.

He added that majority of gastro patients admitted at the allied hospitals include those who suffer from severe dehydration and it is alarming that two to three per cent of admitted gastro patients have to face renal failure.

He explained that the patients of gastro suffering from renal failure have to face irreparable loss and they are managed through dialysis and it is pathetic because gastro is 100 per cent preventable by following simple preventive measures. He added that to avoid such losses, effective prevention and control measures must be taken seriously by both the individuals and the concerned government authorities.

He said everybody knows that gastroenteritis is mainly transmitted through infected food and contaminated water and flies in unhygienic conditions help contaminate the foodstuff in summer but no effective measures have ever been taken by any concerned authority for ensuring hygienic conditions at vendors, local restaurants and relatively smaller food outlets.

It is unfortunate that the concerned authorities have failed in checking sale of cut fruits in open or convincing vendors to cover the cut fruit to avoid contamination and the same is the case with dishes like ‘pakoras’, samosas’, ‘jalebi’ and number of like items, said Professor Umar.

He explained that an estimated 95 per cent of all consumers have to consume foodstuff and locally prepared drinks at vendors, local restaurants and shopkeepers in mohallas. By ensuring hygienic conditions at local food outlets may minimize the incidence of gastroenteritis by 80 per cent, he said.

Sealing factories and bigger food outlets have less effect and there is a need to give attention to ensuring cleanliness at smaller food outlets located in almost all localities, he said while responding to a query.

It is worth mentioning here that gastroenteritis can be viral, bacterial or parasitic though there are many other infectious agents that can cause this syndrome. In this region of the world, however, majority of gastroenteritis cases are due to bacterial infections.

Professor Umar said people should be made aware of various aspects of gastro so that the patients can avoid severe dehydration and report at the healthcare facilities well in time to avoid loss to kidneys.

He said the main symptoms of gastro include vomiting, fever, severe diarrhoea with dehydration and lowering of blood pressure. After exposure to the infection, the body suffers deficiency of certain salts particularly potassium. The disease might cause death in children and elderly people along with cases which are not managed in time, said Professor Umar.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/221827-Gastroenteritis-continues-to-haunt-population