Fear of spread of dangerous virus in Pakistan, federal government warned
The federal government warned the provinces in view of the fear of the spread of the dangerous virus in the country.
According to the details, the National Health Organization has issued an advisory to the federal and provincial health departments, water and sanitation agencies regarding Naegleria virus.
The advisory said that virus cases and deaths are being reported in Pakistan since 2008, these cases were reported from different cities including Karachi.
Naegleria fowleri is an infection caused by a particular type of amoeba, high fever, headache, vomiting, sore throat are the symptoms of the virus, in its final clinical stage the patient goes into coma.
The advisory says that the CSF sample must be subjected to microscopy to confirm the virus, the water supply department should add a certain amount of chlorine to the water, due to high temperatures in summer, poor chlorine in the water may cause the virus.
According to the advisory, brain-eating amoeba is a free-living pathogen that occurs in freshwater environments.
The virus is found in rivers, lakes, and hot springs.
The National Institutes of Health said that the disease is spread widely in hot and contaminated water, mostly in hot weather, and the infection is caused by nasal inhalation of poorly chlorinated water.
However, Infection causes widespread inflammation within the brain and delayed diagnosis of infection can lead to death within 4 to 7 days.
In 75 percent of cases of infection diagnosed after the patient has died, Naegleria cannot survive in clean, cold, chlorinated water.
In the advisory, the concerned institutions have been instructed to take care of the cleaning of water tanks and pipes.
In the ongoing advisory, it is said that chlorine should be added to the swimming pool water, citizens should not use swimming pools with non-chlorinated water, citizens should empty and clean the small swimming pools daily.