Naegleria awareness campaign kicks off

Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) in cooperation with Sindh Health Department has started safety measures and precaution awareness campaign against naegleria in the city by establishing a camp in a family park in Block 15, Gulistan-e-Johar.

The campaign has been started on the directives of managing director KWSB and commissioner Karachi. The inauguration ceremony of the awareness campaign was attended by a large number of citizens.

Chief Engineer Electrical & Mechanical and focal person for naegleria Noor Muhammed Chohan, Chief Engineer Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, Deputy Chief Engineer Azam Khan, Chief Chemist Yahya and officers of health department were also present on the occasion.

KWSB Spokesperson Nazeer Mateen said the reason behind the campaign was to inform residents about prevention steps from naegleria by approaching them in their areas and educating them about the usage of sodium hypochlorite and chlorine tablets.

A large number of pamphlets comprising informative literature were distributed in the ceremony. Experts on this occasion told that naegleria grows during hot weather in chlorine-less clean water which enters through nostril into brain and eats brain until the victim dies. It can only be diagnosed after death by post-mortem examination, hence citizens should adopt precautionary measures.

“Water storage tanks should immediately be cleaned, it is better if boiled water is used for ablution, do not take bath in the swimming pools or ponds where chlorine has not been mixed, water should not be stored for more days and water can be testified free of cost from KWSB labs,” the experts suggested.