Daily Times

LAHORE: With the rise in mercury, the number of gastroenteritis patients in the city is also on rise as more and more patients are being brought to government and private hospitals in the city due to consumption of substandard food and drinking too much water.

Health experts said that stomach-related disease is taking its toll on people, especially children after eating unhygienic food and drinking excessive water due to rise in temperature.

They added that eating substandard edibles and drinking contaminated water could increase number of hepatitis A and E patients in the city. “Children are the worst sufferer of the diseases,” they said.

Medical superintendents (MS) of Children Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Jinnah Hospitals said that the number of gastro patients visiting hospitals had increase twice after the increase in temperature.

They said that use of unhygienic edibles, drinks and polluted water were main causes behind the speedy spread of the disease. They advised people to boil water before consumption, and added that people should also avoid eating substandard food items, including openly available sliced fruits, juices and cold drinks.

They said that the departments concerned should monitor sale of unhygienic edibles easily available at the roadsides in the city.

Talking to Daily Times, Dr Salman Kazmi, office-bearer of the Young Doctors Association, said that the situation might get worse in the coming days as the temperature was likely to reach 45 degree Celsius.

He too said that the citizens must avoid eating or drinking substandard edibles. He advised people to wash hands properly before eating and boil water before drinking.

Dr Salman said that gastroenteritis could cause death in case of severe infection or dehydration, but it could be easily avoided by taking preventive measures.

According to a report, waterborne diseases claim 250,000 children’s lives every year in Pakistan. Deaths due to gastroenteritis, acute diarrhoea and other water-borne aliments rise during summer,” the report says.