KARACHI: Amid government efforts to control the outbreak of gastroenteritis in a Malir village, the number of patients affected by the illness rose to over 300 on Wednesday.

The health department had earlier stated that 259 people had reported complaints of acute watery diarrhoea at health facilities from Sheedi Goth since June 28.

According to authorities, the water samples collected from the area have been found to be contaminated with E.coli (a large and diverse group of bacteria) and Vibrio cholera (the bacteria causing the highly contagious diarrheal disease of cholera).

Official data showed that only three out of the 259 patients, who reported with complaints of acute diarrhoea from June 28 till July 3, were tested positive for cholera.

The rest seemed to be infected by harmful E.coli causing acute diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps.

Speaking to Dawn, Infection Control Society of Pakistan president Dr Rafiq Khanani said that a combination of factors were responsible for the outbreak of gastroenteritis that usually occurred in hot summer days.

“The unhygienic conditions that developed during Eidul Azha aggravated the situation. Dumps of animal remains and flies are a major source for the spread of gastroenteritis,” he said, adding that there were only few E.coli strains which caused diseases and that most of these bacteria were part of human’s normal gut flora.

He pointed out that most of the E.coli found in animals was harmful for humans. “Unfortunately, when people talk about contaminated food, they miss out on the potential hazards of contaminated liquids that are used in plenty on hot summer days.”

According to Dr Khanani, one of the most important steps for prevention is hand-hygiene, especially after using toilet and keeping the environment clean.

“Germs spread by the faecal-oral route, which means they are shed in the stool of a host and enter the mouth of the next host by some means. Humans usually become infected by eating foods contaminated with faeces from an infected animal,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2023