_________________________________________________
Pakistan’s capital city Karachi was struck by an outbreak of Naegleria fowleri, also known as ‘brain-eating amoeba.’ The deadly freshwater microbe kills 98 percent of those infected. The source of the infection has yet to be identified. The amoeba is transmitted from contaminated water through the nasal cavity and travels to the brain, causing inflammation. Symptoms are initially mild, including headache, stiff neck, fever and stomach pain, but after five to seven days death is likely, as no treatment for the disease has been developed.
The ongoing outbreak has claimed 10 lives, including two children. The three most recent deaths occurred last week. Some of the cases may not have been reported since many of the city’s 18 million residents are not familiar with the disease, Dr Musa Khan, head of the WHO's Disease Early Warning System in Pakistan said on Tuesday. The infection is usually contracted through swimming in contaminated water, but health authorities said that many of the victims of the outbreak were not swimmers.
“The three people who died in September had not been to a swimming pool. It is a serious cause for concern that people are contracting the infection by using tap water,” Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed said at a press conference on Monday. Pakistani authorities launched a public awareness campaign to inform people about precautionary measures, and to avoid sparking panic.
The city’s water supplier, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, announced that it increased chlorine levels at its treatment facility. The company is also taking water samples in different parts of the city in hopes of locating the source of the infection.
Continue Reading: Deadly ‘brain-eating’ microbe outbreak in Pakistan — RT
MORE ON THE STORY
05.10, 22:163 commentsThousands of Americans at risk of deadly meningitis
Thousands of patients who got steroid injections in 23 US states may be at risk of acquiring the rare fungal infection meningitis, which has left five people dead in the latest outbreak.
24.09, 14:4114 commentsSARS II? Public health officials on alert after new virus detected
World Health Organization (WHO) officials are on alert after two confirmed cases and one suspected case of a new virus from the same family as SARS appeared in Saudi Arabia last week. Doctors are watching for any sign the disease may spread.
30.08, 16:319 commentsTB continued: Drug-resistant strain of deadly disease alarms doctors worldwide
The world is in the middle of a tuberculosis pandemic, scientists say. What was once a disease of undeveloped nations has raced across continents, with thousands of cases in Asia and Europe. The disease may infect up to two million people by 2015.
23.08, 15:1318 commentsAIDS-like disease found in Asians, trigger unknown
A mysterious new disease causes AIDS-like symptoms in Asians even though they are not infected with HIV, a research has found. The disease damages patients’ immune systems, but is not contagious.
19.08, 13:294 commentsDeadly Ebola outbreak: Nine killed in DR Congo
Nine people have died from an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, only weeks after the virulent disease was declared “under control” in neighboring Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.
No comments:
Post a Comment