The reasons behind the spread of skin ailments are contaminated water, unawareness, illiteracy and negligence on the part of municipal and health authorities in keeping their areas clean. The disease is prevalent among children as majority of them are down with scabies, psoriasis, eczema and herpes and itching.
The government-run health facilities are devoid of skin specialists while few private hospitals manage periodical visits of skin doctors from Karachi and Hyderabad. However, poverty-ridden population of these talukas are unable to visit them because of their high fees.
Majority of people afflicted with skin problems were those who were shifted to tent cities after Kot Almo breach. These people on their return to their ancestral villages faced health and hygiene issues. Authorities ignored pumping out stagnant water and adding chlorine to water supplied to residents when they returned.
The situation turned to worse as the Irrigation Department did not release water in the revering network of concerned areas for a long time thus compelling people to consume water from ditches which was both unhealthy and contaminated. This led to the spreading of skin diseases among the population of Sujawal, Jati, Shah Bandar, Belo and Budho Talpur. The situation in these areas is fast deteriorating as more and more residents are getting infected with waterborne diseases. People here are demanding the authorities to immediately induct skin specialists in the government-run health facilities so that people can live in peace after remaining under the stress of flood to rehabilitation.
HASSAN ALHTAR
Karachi
