Karachi witnessing worst cholera outbreak, massive rise in cases over past two months

Negligence of authorities in Pakistan’s Karachi has resulted in the worst cholera outbreak in the city, affecting both children and adults, reported local media. Karachi has been witnessing a massive increase in the number of cholera cases as observed in the past two months, reported The News International. According to experts, hundreds of civilians, including children and adults, are being treated for cholera in public and private hospitals. But, even as the city is suffering from the worst-hit cholera outbreak, some health authorities are concealing facts from the public.

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As a result, Karachi civilians are unable to take precautionary measures to prevent themselves from getting infected by this disease. Various officials at the Karachi hospitals have already declared that the city is experiencing the worst outbreak of cholera in recent years, reported the media outlet. The medical superintendent of the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Center (SIDH&RC), Abdul Wahid Rajput, confirmed that they were receiving lab-confirmed cholera cases for the last few weeks, adding that at least five children and an adult had tested positive for cholera at their health facility.

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Meanwhile, confirming the cholera outbreak in Karachi, another health expert at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), said they were witnessing an increase in diarrhoea and cholera cases as reported from different parts of the city. However, turning a blind eye to the plight of the people and contradicting the statement of health centres, Azra Pechuho, the Health Minister of Sindh said that there has been no evidence of any lab-confirmed case of cholera in Karachi so far.

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