According to officials from the Sindh health department and the World Health Organization (WHO), Karachi is currently experiencing a severe outbreak of cholera. This outbreak is attributed to the distribution of water contaminated with sewage throughout all seven districts of the city. As of 2023, there have been at least 55 confirmed cases of cholera reported, with a total of 75 confirmed cases in Sindh province this year.
“Around 53 people have tested positive for cholera in Karachi while the total number of lab-confirmed cholera cases in Sindh is 75. This is just the tip of the iceberg as over half a million cases of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) have been reported in the province during the first six months of this year,” an official of the Communicable Disease Control in the Directorate General Health Services Sindh Said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cholera is a severe diarrheal infection caused by consuming contaminated food or water containing the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The WHO considers cholera a global public health threat and an indicator of social inequality and underdevelopment.
A representative from Communicable Disease Control stated that the latest laboratory-confirmed cholera case in Karachi was reported on July 5 in District Malir, where four fatalities occurred as a result of this waterborne disease. The official explained that due to limited testing, the number of confirmed cholera cases remains relatively low.
Data from the Directorate General Health Services reveals that the District East of Karachi division has recorded the highest number of laboratory-confirmed cholera cases in 2023, with 16 individuals testing positive for the disease. Additionally, 14 confirmed cases have been reported in District West, 11 in District South, 7 in District Central, 4 in District Keamari, and 3 in District Malir.
The WHO reports that worldwide, there are between 1.3 million to 4 million cases of cholera reported annually, resulting in 21,000 to 143,000 deaths. If left untreated, the disease can rapidly cause death within a matter of hours.
Officials at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad informed The News that a total of 43 cholera-related deaths have been reported in 11 districts of Pakistan, primarily in Sindh and Balochistan. However, it is believed that the actual number may be significantly higher as many cases have not been tested for the disease.
“Last year, over 6.4 million cases of diarrhoea were reported from Pakistan, which is often called as acute watery diarrhoea. This year, around three million cases of acute water diarrhoea have already been reported from Pakistan. The situation is worst in Sindh, including Karachi, and Balochistan where people don’t have access to clean drinking water,” Dr Khurram Shahzad, physician and expert of water-borne diseases, said.
Gastroenterologists strongly recommend boiling water for a minimum of 10 minutes before consumption, as they consider it the most effective method to eliminate bacteria responsible for diseases such as cholera, acute watery diarrhea, gastroenteritis, and typhoid.
“Citizens in Karachi are getting sewage-mixed water for last few decades and due to that, cases of water-borne illnesses have been on the rise. Now cholera cases are being reported, which can kill a person, especially children, within hours. Every person should use boiled water or clean drinking water to prevent themselves from diseases like cholera, typhoid, acute watery diarrhoea and gastroenteritis,” said Dr Shahid Ahmed, a professor of gastroenterology in Karachi.
