Experts warn of 'sanitation emergency' as 'worst fly infestation' hits Karachi

[boomboomcheema]

Urban and medical experts have warned of a "sanitation emergency" as Pakistan's economic hub experiences the "worst infestation of flies" to date while local politicians play catch with responsibility.

According to a report in The New York Times, flies in Karachi have become "a bullying force on sidewalks, flying in and out of stores and cars and homes, and settling onto every available surface, from vegetables to people".

The flies follow the torrential rainstorm that hit the southern port city a few weeks ago, leading to days-long power outages and flooding on major thoroughfares and streets as well as in the drainage system.

The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center's (JPMC) executive director, Dr Seemin Jamali, told the NYT that the latest was the "worst infestation of flies she had ever witnessed".

She said: “There are huge swarms of flies and mosquitoes. It’s not just affecting the life of the common man — they’re so scary, they’re hounding people. You can’t walk straight on the road, there are so many flies everywhere.”

Speaking of the remains and tripe left behind on the streets after Eid-ul-Azha, Dr Jamali said: "We have collected these heaps of garbage."

She warned about diseases spreading in the city as a consequence of the poor waste management and stagnant rainwater, saying the ailments included malaria, gastroenteritis, typhoid, dengue fever, the chikungunya virus, respiratory disorders, and Congo fever.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/246162-any-more-rain-spells-would-turn-karachi-dysfunctional-warn-experts

Those living in Karachi can confirm that the situation is worse than it has been in the past.

 

[troodon]

The 2nd picture is too much. I don't know how the person is able to sit still with those many flies on her.

 

[rhony]

I was watching this in the news. The best solution is to say to hell with pollution and just burn it before finding a permanant solution.

 

[Abdullah719]

This is what happens when your whole infrastructure is a joke.

A few days of rain have completely exposed how bleak the situation is.

 

[Savak]

Karachi needs to be liberated

 

[PakLFC]

The place is filthy. Politicians are only interested in pointing fingers at one another.

 

[AMSS]

Sindh’s faecal matter is making its children dumber

Link to the article

KARACHI:
Open defecation is effectively impeding the intellectual capacity of over half of the province’s population. The only solution, say, health experts, is that people stop urinating and defecating in the open. Unless this happens, over half the next generation will be stunted, they warn.

The vast majority of the households in rural settlements, including the women, prefer to go to the fields to defecate due to lack of awareness and unavailability. May say they cannot afford to build a small latrine within the boundary wall of the house. Children usually defecate anywhere they wish to, while women, usually in groups, go to nearby fields or a forest. The men can do it anywhere they please – on the roadside, under a tree or in open grounds.

“People aren’t very open to the concept of covered toilets,” said Maqbool Rahu, General Manager for Water and Sanitation Programme at the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS).

An eye opener!

 

[Jin Chacha]

Obviously an important issue that could lead to hygiene/health problems but the article is very thin on details. How exactly does open defecation affect intellectual capacity/IQ?

 

[Slog]

Interior Sindh has extreme poverty.though in terms of sanitation some areas of Karachi aren’t better

 

[AdamM97]

Interior Sindh has extreme poverty.though in terms of sanitation some areas of Karachi aren’t better

It's ironic that Sindh is bad in terms of sanitation yet the Indus Valley Civilization excelled in Sanitary Engineering and were the first ones to have proper sanitation devices and toilets.

 

[sweep_shot]

I hope they will fix up this matter soon.

Defecating in open is not just gross but also a massive health hazard.

 

[Abdullah719]

Citizens who identify people throwing trash around Karachi to be awarded Rs100,000, says Saeed Ghani

Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani on Tuesday announced that the provincial government will award Rs100,000 to any person who "films and identifies people who throw garbage" on the streets of Karachi.

While talking to the media, Ghani announced two mobile numbers where citizens will be able to send videos of people throwing trash around the city through WhatsApp. Citizens can send videos on 0300-0074296 and 0300-0084296.

The provincial minister told reporters that he had personally witnessed people purposely dumping heaps of garbage on roads and said that those who "claimed that they have inherited the city" were polluting Karachi.

"This is a conspiracy to damage the cleanliness drive," he said. The minister promised that identity of citizens who reported such incidents will be kept secret.

He said that the Sindh government had to bear extra costs because of some elements who choked sewerage lines and break water pipes on purpose. He added that in addition to garbage, debris was also dumped on roads, which was a crime.

On Sunday, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had made similar remarks and said that "so-called friends of Karachi" had choked 24 dia sewers in the city's Malir 15 area by placing boulders and stones which would have led to leakage to sewerage water on the metropolis' main roads.

The Sindh government last week initiated a cleanliness campaign dubbed Clean My Karachi after facing criticism over failure to clean the metropolis.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1507106/c...rachi-to-be-awarded-rs100000-says-saeed-ghani

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The first case of the Congo virus this year has been reported in Karachi, with the patient currently receiving medical care at Jinnah Hospital

The patient, a 32-year-old man, was admitted to Ward 5 at Jinnah Hospital with high fever and diarrhoea. The situation escalated when laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the deadly Congo virus, causing alarm within the hospital.

Hospital officials stated that the patient’s condition required immediate transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU). "Congo virus is a life-threatening infection with a survival rate of only 10%," they noted.

The Congo virus, which is typically reported around Eid-ul-Adha due to the increased movement of livestock, is transmitted from animals to humans and can spread further from human to human.

Dr Nausheen, Deputy Executive Director of Jinnah Hospital, confirmed that the patient is being transferred to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIIED) for specialised care.

In a similar case, in November 2023, a 42-year-old man from Karachi’s East District was diagnosed with the Congo virus. The Sindh Health Department’s spokesperson had confirmed that the man was admitted to a private hospital after showing symptoms of the virus.

Medical experts have identified symptoms of the Congo virus to include a drop in white blood cells, high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, and mouth ulcers.

Source: The Express Tribune

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The first case of the Congo virus this year has been reported in Karachi, with the patient currently receiving medical care at Jinnah Hospital

The patient, a 32-year-old man, was admitted to Ward 5 at Jinnah Hospital with high fever and diarrhoea. The situation escalated when laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the deadly Congo virus, causing alarm within the hospital.

Hospital officials stated that the patient’s condition required immediate transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU). "Congo virus is a life-threatening infection with a survival rate of only 10%," they noted.

The Congo virus, which is typically reported around Eid-ul-Adha due to the increased movement of livestock, is transmitted from animals to humans and can spread further from human to human.

Dr Nausheen, Deputy Executive Director of Jinnah Hospital, confirmed that the patient is being transferred to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIIED) for specialised care.

In a similar case, in November 2023, a 42-year-old man from Karachi’s East District was diagnosed with the Congo virus. The Sindh Health Department’s spokesperson had confirmed that the man was admitted to a private hospital after showing symptoms of the virus.

Medical experts have identified symptoms of the Congo virus to include a drop in white blood cells, high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, and mouth ulcers.

Source: The Express Tribune

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to meet as the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.

Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.

Determining a disease outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern” or PHEIC — the WHO’s highest level of alert — can accelerate research, funding and international public health measures and cooperation to contain the disease.

The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. But a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact. It has spread from Congo to neighbouring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, triggering action from the WHO.

Source: Dawn News

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Another two cases of Congo virus emerge in Quetta

Two more patients, including a woman, have tested positive for Congo virus in Quetta and have been hospitalized.

The country is witnessing a gradual increase in Congo virus cases, with Balochistan reporting a total of 30 affected individuals so far.

This brings the total number of cases in the province this year to thirty.

One of the newly confirmed patients hails from Musa Khel, while the other is from Kuchlak.


AAJ News

 

[BouncerGuy]

Panic at Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital on confirmation of Congo virus

Panic gripped the Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital (BVH) after confirmation of a Congo virus patient on Saturday.

As the hospital administration confirmed that Zafar (32) was having Congo virus, there was unrest among the patients in indoor wards as well as outpatient department and they started leaving their wards in fear and anxiety.

BVH Medical Superintendent Dr Aamir Bokhari told Dawn that Zafar, a resident Chak 130-R in Jahanian tehsil of Khanewal district, the laboratory test confirmed that Zafar was infected with Congo virus.

According to him, the patient was admitted to the BVH as a dengue virus suspect on Sept 12. His blood samples were sent to the laboratory from where the report was received on Saturday. Now, he would be given treatment for Congo virus.

The MS said the patient, a cattle handler, had contact with cattle where he got infected with Congo virus and the doctors were trying to save his life. He was hopeful that during the next few days, the virus might be controlled. He said strict precautionary measures were being taken in the dengue ward from where Zafar had now been shifted to another portion for safety of other dengue virus suspects. He said security measures had been beefed up and the entry of the people and any suspects had been banned in that ward and portion of the dengue ward.

Dr Bokhari expressed satisfaction that the BVH had complete arrangements to tackle such Congo virus and dengue virus patients effectively and there was no cause for alarm.

Regarding the panic, which gripped the BVH premises on Saturday, the MS said it was just fear among them and the situation was completely under control and there was no need for panic.

DAWN NEWS

 

[FearlessRoar]

Balochistan registers another Congo virus case

“Sharafuddin, 25, was brought to Fatima Jinnah Hospital in a precarious condition,” hospital officials said.

The man was tested positive for Congo virus after undergoing tests, the hospital sources said.

This is not the first instance that an epidemic of Congo virus fever has broken out in Balochistan. In late 80s and mid-90s dozens of people had died of the disease, health sources said.

The virus is primarily transmitted to humans by ticks on cattle and other livestock and can cause severe fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and internal bleeding. The disease has a high fatality rate, and currently no vaccine or specific treatment available for the virus.

It is pertinent to mention here that the National Institute of Health (NIH) issued advisories for the prevention and control of CCHF.

In the wake of high disease transmission, it is imperative to be vigilant about the situation and take steps to interrupt the transmission of CCHF.

It explained that CCHF is caused by tick-borne Nairovirus. Animals such as cattle, goats, sheep and hares are carriers of this virus, which is transmitted to people by tick bites or through contact with infected blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter.

Balochistan registers another Congo virus case

Balochistan has reported another Congo virus cases, increasing the number of cases to 41 this year, ARY News reported on Monday. “Sharafuddin, 25, was

arynews.tv

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pakistan has recorded three deaths from Congo virus on Thursday, with two fatalities reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and one in Karachi, Express News reported

The latest victim in Sindh was a 25-year-old fisherman from Ibrahim Hyderi, while the K-P toll includes patients from Karak and North Waziristan.

According to health officials, Muhammad Zubair, a resident of Malir district, first exhibited symptoms including high fever, muscle pain, abdominal discomfort, coughing, diarrhea, bleeding, and loss of consciousness on June 16.

He was admitted to Jinnah Hospital, where doctors suspected Congo virus infection. Due to the lack of specialized treatment facilities, he was transferred to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital, where he died at 7 am on June 19.

Read More: Sindh reports first Congo virus death of 2025

The Sindh Health Department has promptly dispatched an active search and response team to the affected area. Contact tracing efforts have been carried out, with all individuals who had close contact with the deceased identified and monitored.

So far, no other cases have been reported. Local residents and the victim’s family have been advised to follow strict precautionary measures to prevent further spread.

This death follows the province’s first reported fatality from the virus earlier this year, when a 42-year-old man from Malir district was admitted to Indus Hospital in Korangi on June 16 and died the next day.

In K-P, two Congo virus patients from Karak and North Waziristan districts died at Hayatabad Medical Complex. These fatalities have raised the provincial death toll to three.

Also Read: Two Congo virus patient hospitalised at Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex

Meanwhile, three additional patients infected with the virus are currently receiving treatment in isolation wards at the hospital. Health Advisor Ehtesham Ali said contact tracing and sanitization operations have been initiated at the homes of the deceased and the infected.

He added that an advisory regarding Congo virus had been circulated to all hospitals across Pakistan prior to Eidul Azha, as the increased movement and slaughter of sacrificial animals heighten the risk of transmission.

Congo virus is a severe viral disease transmitted primarily through tick bites or contact with the blood and tissues of infected animals, particularly during and immediately after slaughter.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a case fatality rate of 10-40 per cent, with no vaccine currently available. In April, the National Institute of Health (NIH) issued an advisory urging preventive measures ahead of Eidul Azha, when the movement of sacrificial animals increases.

Source: The Express Tribune