Nine people, including women and children, have died due to a diarrhea outbreak caused by contaminated water in Faiz Muhammad Barfat Goth, a village located in District Jamshoro adjacent to Karachi’s Malir district.
According to the District Health Officer (DHO) Malir, nine children and women have lost their lives in Faiz Muhammad Barfat Goth due to diarrhea and cholera.
The Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences has declared the village’s water unfit for consumption. Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho stated that the District Health Officers of Jamshoro and Malir have been placed on high alert, and health teams from both districts are continuously present in the area. The affected region falls within Jamshoro’s jurisdiction, but due to its proximity to Malir, both districts’ teams are working jointly.
She said that upon receiving the reports, a medical camp was immediately set up. Mobile hospital vans are providing basic laboratory tests and other medical facilities on site, while the 1122 ambulance service has been put on high alert to transport patients.
The health minister added that 24 hour emergency services have been activated at the 36 bed Dumba Goth Hospital and Sindh Government Murad Memon Hospital. She explained that the outbreak spread around 7 to 10 days ago during a funeral, due to the use of contaminated underground water and unhygienic food. Many people, including women and children, were affected by the consumption of polluted water and food.
She further stated that health department teams have collected water samples from the affected area and sent them to the laboratory. Initial findings suggest that the diarrhea and cholera cases emerged due to water contamination and the presence of bacteria.
