Water & vector-borne diseases during current rain spells

ICT Health Department issues guidelines to prevent possible outbreaks

Islamabad

The Islamabad Capital Territory Health Department has issued guidelines to the field staff including lady health workers and sanitary inspectors to take necessary precautionary measures to prevent and control suspected water born and vector born diseases during and after the ongoing rain spells in the region.

In this regard, a meeting for preparatory steps and measures to be taken to respond to monsoon floods in the federal capital was held at the office of District Health Officer after which the ICT health department issued guidelines for prevention of water and vector borne diseases particularly with a focus on avoiding possible outbreaks of Cholera, Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD), Hepatitis A & E, Gastroenteritis and Malaria.

As a preparedness measure for prevention and putting up a rapid response to the expected outbreaks of water borne diseases in the ICT during the current monsoon season, the ICT health department has planned to establish rapid response teams comprising sanitary and malaria inspectors and lady health workers.

The meeting that was chaired by the DHO Dr. Muhammad Tahir and co-chaired by Additional DHO Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani has directed all the concerned field staff composed of sanitary inspectors and lady health workers to create awareness among the community as public is to be made aware of the increased risk of monsoon health threats and the vital necessity of early recognition and reporting of outbreaks of water and vector borne diseases during and after recent rains.

Community education can play an important role in averting possible outbreaks of monsoon related infections as the water borne diseases mainly result from consumption of contaminated water and the poor hygienic environment and conditions, people are living in particularly in congested areas and rural areas of the federal capital, said Dr. Durrani while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

Being a member of international body on communicable disease surveillance and Control, he said that in the months of May up to September, we find scores of people getting ill and landing in hospitals with complaints of vomiting, diarrhoea and dysentery, commonly called gastroenteritis.

In the wake of recent rains, the stagnant water accumulated after rains can play an important role in causing serious health threats after being mixed with sewage water and entering into wells and water bores, he said. He added the phenomenon may pose greater threat to people and if preventive measures are not taken in time, population would be at high risk of contracting epidemic diseases.

To a query, he said a huge number of people visit the federal capital from all across the country including high risk areas daily while many have made temporary and permanent settlements and dwellings that are haphazard without any town planning preferably in the rural areas and such movements may help spreading water and vector borne diseases in the ICT areas.

He said the field staff has been given a detailed briefing on diseases like cholera, gastroenteritis, typhoid, hepatitis A & E, amoebic dysentery and the most recent appearance of Naegleria parasite in Karachi as these diseases are likely to appear in this time of season.

The staff was directed to closely monitor the situation to avoid any water born outbreaks, since the surveillance depends on the fact that epidemics are first recognized at the Rural Health Centre (RHC) and Basic Health Unit (BHU) level where the weekly number of cases in each area should be compared to baseline data derived from routine surveillance during previous months and years, said Dr. Durrani.