Thousands of rain-affected people are facing threats of dengue and malaria diseases as the health department has failed to provide them complete treatment in this regard. Continuous rains of monsoon have affected about 0.5 million people in almost all districts of interior Sindh.
According to well-placed sources, health department could not established medical camps in many major areas, where rains have affected a large number of people and these people are living in the camps and under open sky. Sources said that health department has not provided even dengue and malaria-prevention drugs in the rain-affected areas. A mosquito net during the night is very compulsory in this dangerous situation but the department has not played an effective role in this regard, sources added.
About 29 dengue cases have been reported in Sindh over the last 13 days, according to the report of Dengue Surveillance Cell. It is pertinent to mention here that 190 dengue cases were reported in province during the last year. Monsoon brings welcome relief from the heat, but leaves behind a host of illnesses and diseases, some of which can be life threatening. In the rain-affected areas, children are the most susceptible to these diseases. Mosquitoes abound during the monsoon season and cases of malaria and dengue are on the upswing in these areas.
Speaking to Business Recorder in this connection, medical experts were of the view that provincial health department should take war-footing steps in order to prevent thousands of people from Dengue and Malaria. They said that health department should distribute mosquito repellent cream among rain-affected people for safety from Dengue and Malaria. They said that many diseases like cholera spread through faeces, which is why it is essential to drink boiled water in monsoon but thousands of rain-affected people are using local water for drinking purpose which is very much dangerous for their health, they added.
They said that walking in dirty water can also lead to numerous diseases since it brings your feet into direct contact with sewage water while rain-affected people and their children are walking in rain waters but health department has closed their eyes towards them. They further said that kids enjoy playing out in the rain, and using unhygienic water for drinking which cause murmurs diseases like dengue and malaria.