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HYDERABAD, Sept 14: Cases of water-borne diseases continued to rise in Latifabad-2, 8, 9 and 11 as there has been no improvement in the situation in the area where stagnant water was now rotting.
A shortage of medicines was also reported in unit-2 on Thursday.
About 700 cases were treated in medical camps set up by the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare.
These cases are in addition to those which were taken up at the army medical camp where doctors of the district government were examining patients.
“In all the cases people suffer mostly from skin infections like contact dermatitis and eczema. Medicines that are available with us have been distributed”, said provincial coordinator Dr Qazi Mujtaba Kamal.
Fungal infection results in inflammation of skin and bruises become wounds. Some personnel of army who were wading through rainwater are also suffering from the disease.
Dawn learnt that anti-fungal drugs were not available and a requisition had been made for them.
According to a camp doctor, 1,500 cases were reported on Wednesday. Average number of patients is between 1,500 and 1,800.
A minor boy, brought by his father, was feeling itching in his leg due to fungal infection.
RATION: People continue to make complaints regarding non-supply of ration and other relief.
Such complaints have been made mostly from families which have no male member to collect ration from camps.
As a result, women are reaching medical camps but they returned disappointed because mechanism for distribution of relief goods including ration is yet to be finalised.
“I called a law-enforcer to give some help because my father is aged and unable to work. He told me to come to the camp to get it but when I arrived here I am not being attended. The boat does not reach my house”, said Asghari Begum who was present along with her daughter outside the medical camp in unit-2.
The woman said that ration had finished in her house and their family was facing starvation.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Hardly any road in Latifabad taluka is in proper shape.
The closure of railway sub-way due to accumulation of around 10-12 feet of water is leading to traffic congestion on the main railway crossing.
It is in spite of the fact that trains are not operating on the Hyderabad-Karachi railway section.
Big craters have been developed and no barriers are put to prevent would-be victims from falling or suffering injuries.
FUNDING: District Naib Nazim Zafar Rajput said that funds provided by the Sindh government for relief operations were inadequate.
He said that work being done in the district needed more financial help from provincial and federal governments. He said that losses had been estimated to the tune of Rs10 billion.
Addressing a news conference on Thursday, he said that losses to crops and livestock had been reported on a large scale in the rural taluka and data were being collected for a proper estimate.
