Naegleria fowleri deaths: Questioning  poor quality of water in Karachi

by Tauqeer Abbas
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SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)-nageg

After a horrible 2014 in Karachi, Pakistan where at least 14 deaths were recorded linked to the “brain-eating amoeba”, Naegleria fowleri, two more deaths have been reported in current year. Chlorination is considered to be the only cure against the spread of the deadly disease, which has so far claimed a total of sixteen lives. Swimming is considered to be one of key factors that cause the primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) or naegleria fowleri. As recent reports suggested that chlorination levels in more than 40 per cent of Karachi’s water were found to be unsatisfactorily, the level of threat by PAM has attained grave proportions. While there should not be any panic, local authorities must scientifically examine the causes of the recent deaths, as well as test water samples. Failure to do so can cause more loss of life. Testing the city’s water and chlorination levels are essential in this regard — the deaths caused by the amoeba raise questions about the overall quality of Karachi’s water.Above all, major stakeholders — the health department, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation as well as the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board — must evolve a coordinated strategy to deal with the issue.

pakistan.shafaqna.com