Peshawar:
Conjunctivitis, commonly known as “Pink Eye”, has reached epidemic proportions in several districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in areas affected by flooding. According to the Provincial Health Department, more than 22,863 cases were reported in the month of August alone.
The outbreak has exerted immense pressure on hospitals. At Lady Reading Hospital, the largest medical installation in the province is reported daily more than 150 new cases. To the alarming, five doctors from the Department of Ophthalmology of the Hospital have also contracted the infection. Khyber’s teaching hospital receives between 60 and 70 patients daily, while Hayatabad’s medical complex reports about 80 cases per day.
Official statistics reveal that between January and August of this year, 97,212 cases of conjunctivitis were recorded throughout the province. The highest numbers have been informed in Nowshera, Peshawar, Swat, Shangla, Battagram, Mardan and Buner. Health officials confirm that the disease has increased significantly in districts affected by floods, where poor hygiene and stagnant water have contributed to their propagation.
The August Health Report highlighted SWAT as the most affected district with 4,204 cases, followed by Peshawar (2,254), Buner (1,743), Shangla (1,689), under dir (1,484), Nowshera (1,194), Battagram (1,080) and Malakand (1,235).
Hospital sources say that most patients are being treated in rooms, but due to the highly contagious nature of the disease, doctors avoid the use of shared medical instruments and equipment in infected people. Many patients are discharged after initial treatment with strict advice on preventive measures.
In response, the Department of Health has issued public advice. Citizens have been urged to practice strict hygiene, avoid close contact and isolate if they are infected. Patients are recommended to wear a separate bedding and pillows, wear sunglasses in sunlight and follow the medical guide. Health experts warn that conjunctivitis generally lasts up to a week, but spreads as fast as seasonal flu if preventive measures are ignored.
It can be remembered that two weeks ago, the KP Health Department ordered all district and teaching hospitals to take immediate measures for the prevention and control of conjunctivitis (ocular infection), after an advisor issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.
