After eight staff members including five doctors fell victim to the Congo virus in a local hospital in Quetta and two died, the rest of the patients are undergoing treatment in Karachi.

The Balochistan Health Department officials went to the hospital and reviewed the situation, expressing determination to stop the spread of the virus, they emphasized the need to strictly adhere to the SOPs. It is found in the form of an insect called chirhid, which hides from the skin of camels, etc., by the bite of which the virus enters the human body and manifests itself in the form of high fever.

As the white cells decrease, the blood starts leaking thin. The lungs, liver and kidneys stop working and the patient dies. Health experts advise not to touch the patient to prevent this and the use of gloves is mandatory for his care.

Reports of cases of Congo virus appearing twice a year in different parts of the country have been part of the media for the past several years and the first case of this was the death of a doctor in the Central Hospital (now General Hospital), Rawalpindi in the 1980s.

It was revealed in the form after which, thanks to preventive measures, the transmission of the virus from one person to another has been controlled to a safe extent and as long as it is present in animals, the eradication of the disease cannot be guaranteed.

Department of Agriculture and various institutions of education and research, including livestock, are present in the country at the federal and provincial levels, which should be remedied by the efforts of the virus.

Meanwhile, Naegleria cases are on the rise in the country, it has claimed as many as seven lives so far. Of these, four cases were reported in Karachi, one in Hyderabad, and one each in Quetta.

The threat of naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba, which is already making rounds in the city and has taken four lives in the megapolis during the current months, needs to be taken notice of. 

The fresh victims of this fatal disease are adults above 40 years of age. Still, since children are more prone to bathing in accumulated rain water, medical experts have advised the parent to stop them from bathing in swimming pools, as the danger of naeglaeria fowleri has multiplied manifold after the torrential rains. It may be mentioned here that though the devastating infection caused by polluted water is present in Pakistan, yet very rare cases of this fatal infection are reported.

However,  the number of cases has risen this year and since May, four persons have fallen prey to this infection so far which has set the alarms bells ringing. One would urge the concerned authorities and civic bodies to ensure preventive steps to prevent the fatal infection which can develop into a grave situation.

Last year, six persons died of naegleria fowleri and majoiry of the deaths were reported in Karachi, which report such death since 2016. Health practitioners say that the actual number of victims must be higher as many cases go unreported. One way to prevent the fatal infection is to ensure chlorination of water by the concerned authorities.

The citizens themselves can also make use of chlorine in water for domestic use by putting chlorine tablets in tier water tanks on rooftops or underground. As a matter of fact, we are third-world countries and we should not look towards the government for everything. 

Those at the helm of schools, hospitals, business centres , offices and shopping centres, can chlorinate their water by simply putting chlorine water in their water tanks. Moreover, health practitioners have advised the citizens to never ignore the symptoms like vomiting, headache, nausea and high fever as these are common symptoms of naegleria fowleri and should contact their doctors at once.

It may be mentioned here that contaminated rain water after entering the brain through nostrils started eating the brain and once it a person contracts this amoeba, the victim eventually dies as it is more than ninety per cent lethal in the majority of cases. It may be mentioned here that past record shows that 88 per cent of the Naegleria Fowleri patients died which shows how lethal it is. Karachi Water and Sewerage Board must perform its duty to chlorinate the water being supplied to Karachiites is the simplest and most easy way to prevent this infection. On the other hand,  schools and institutions with swimming pool facilities for children should also chlorinate the pool water for the sake of the safety of the students. Health experts say that there should be a ban on playing in swimming pools during the hot summer months while the monsoon rains are going on.

It thrives in water during hot weather which can be gauged from the fact that the majority of the cases are reported in hot summer weather. Another simplest way to prevent naegleria Fowleri infection is to either boil the water or put a small amount of bleach powder in the overhead tank. But this water can only be used for external use as bleach is a strong chemical and its intake, though very meager, must be avoided.

It may also be mentioned here that Karachi's main water supply chain which originates from Kheenjar Lake and is also connected with Hub Dam, has got plenty of rain water and hence the chances of contamination have increased manifold. Meanwhile, health practitioners that the symptoms should be carefully checked by the concerned doctors as in many cases, it has been noted that patients do not report the exact symptoms due which the doctors are misled, so both the patients and the doctors should be careful about the symptoms of this infection.

Since the disease is rare, so some health practitioners are not aware of this lethal infection, so there is need for awareness campaign on media, both social media and also in print and electronic media to alert the household and health givers about the danger of Naegleria Fowleri. In some cases, the fewer is high grade while at other times, the patients report low fever, so the symptoms themselves are very confusing and only lab tests can determine the presence of this lethal infection. So the health practitioners should suggest an early lab test to determine the infection so that the disease can be overcome in the initial stages.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 09 2023

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