Latest news with #Sindh
Arab News
16 hours ago
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan's Sindh reports fourth death from brain-eating amoeba in 2025
KARACHI: The provincial health department in Pakistan's southern Sindh province this week reported another death from Naegleria fowleri, making it the fourth casualty of the disease from the province this year. Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, has a fatality rate of over 98 percent. It is transmitted when contaminated water enters the body through the nose and cannot be spread from person to person. The latest victim of the disease was a resident of Karachi's central district area, who started experiencing symptoms such as fever, body aches and vomiting on June 25. Syed Ali Raza Shah, 17, was hospitalized at the Agha Khan University Hospital on June 26 and on June 27, was shifted to ventilator support after his condition deteriorated. 'On 28th June 2025: At around 12:00:PM patient expired in medical ICU on the ventilator at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,' the Sindh Health Department's report said on Saturday. The report said Shah did not have a history of swimming nor performing ablution before the illness. However, the patient had taken a bath before his illness. The report pointed out that an overhead tank was the source of water in the deceased's house, which had not been cleaned in the past six months. It said response activities will be conducted in the deceased's area of residence after his funeral. 'Report submitted to higher authorities for planning and awareness sessions will be conducted on 29th and 30th June in the affected area,' the report said. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world. In very rare cases, it has been found in poorly maintained swimming pools, splash pads, and other recreational venues. If water containing the ameba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). In most cases in Pakistan, infections have occurred when people use tap water that contains Naegleria fowleri to rinse their sinuses or cleanse their nasal passages. Pakistan has witnessed a rise in Naegleria fowleri cases in recent years, with more than 100 reported deaths since the first confirmed infection in 2008. Five fatalities were recorded in 2024 alone.
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Health
- Arab News
Pakistan's Sindh reports fourth death from brain-eating amoeba
KARACHI: The provincial health department in Pakistan's southern Sindh province this week reported another death from Naegleria fowleri, making it the fourth casualty of the disease from the province this year. Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, has a fatality rate of over 98 percent. It is transmitted when contaminated water enters the body through the nose and cannot be spread from person to person. The latest victim of the disease was a resident of Karachi's central district area, who started experiencing symptoms such as fever, body aches and vomiting on June 25. Syed Ali Raza Shah, 17, was hospitalized at the Agha Khan University Hospital on June 26 and on June 27, was shifted to ventilator support after his condition deteriorated. 'On 28th June 2025: At around 12:00:PM patient expired in medical ICU on the ventilator at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi,' the Sindh Health Department's report said on Saturday. The report said Shah did not have a history of swimming nor performing ablution before the illness. However, the patient had taken a bath before his illness. The report pointed out that an overhead tank was the source of water in the deceased's house, which had not been cleaned in the past six months. It said response activities will be conducted in the deceased's area of residence after his funeral. 'Report submitted to higher authorities for planning and awareness sessions will be conducted on 29th and 30th June in the affected area,' the report said. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world. In very rare cases, it has been found in poorly maintained swimming pools, splash pads, and other recreational venues. If water containing the ameba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). In most cases in Pakistan, infections have occurred when people use tap water that contains Naegleria fowleri to rinse their sinuses or cleanse their nasal passages. Pakistan has witnessed a rise in Naegleria fowleri cases in recent years, with more than 100 reported deaths since the first confirmed infection in 2008. Five fatalities were recorded in 2024 alone.
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Climate
- Arab News
PM Sharif orders weather alerts for citizens as monsoon rains batter parts of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to enhance coordination with provinces and issue timely weather alerts to citizens via cellphone messages, as heavy monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc across parts of the country. The directive came during a phone call with NDMA Chairperson Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, amid reports of flash floods, urban inundation and landslides triggered by days of torrential rain. The provincial disaster authorities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab reported the death of 31 people amid heavy rains. The downpours, which claimed at least 19 lives in KP and 12 in Punjab, also damaged dozens of homes, disrupted rail operations in the southern Sindh province and prompted the meteorological department to maintain a high alert through early next week. 'Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif instructed the NDMA chairperson to remain in close contact with provincial governments, particularly in the country's northern regions, and to provide all possible support,' said an official statement issued by the PM Office. 'He also directed that weather warnings be proactively communicated to citizens via mobile phone messages.' The NDMA issued its own emergency alert on Saturday, warning of possible urban flooding over the next 48 hours in low-lying areas of southern Sindh, including Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, Hyderaba and Mirpurkhas. Similar risks were flagged for the northeastern region, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot and Lahore. 'There is a possibility of increased water flow in southern Balochistan's Kirthar Range streams,' the NDMA said, adding that flood levels could rise in the Swat and Panjkora rivers and their tributaries, as well as in the Kabul River and northern Punjab's drainage systems. The authority advised the public to avoid low-lying areas, stay away from rivers and streams and refrain from unnecessary travel in at-risk regions. It also urged citizens to download the NDMA Disaster Alert mobile application for real-time updates and guidance. Pakistan, home to more than 240 million people, is ranked among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world and faces increasingly severe weather patterns, including heatwaves, droughts and floods. In 2022, deadly floods brought by record monsoon rains and glacial melt killed over 1,700 people and impacted 33 million in Pakistan. The floods also damaged houses, crop and public infrastructure, with total losses estimated at over $30 billion. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast further heavy rainfall through Tuesday.
Arab News
a day ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Rains and flash floods kill 11 in Pakistan's Swat, claim 12 lives in Punjab
PESHAWAR/KARACHI: At least 11 people have been killed in flash floods in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, while heavy rains have claimed another 12 lives in the most populous Punjab province, provincial rescue and disaster authorities said on Saturday. Flooding in the Swat river swept away 17 people early Friday, of which three were rescued and bodies of 11 others were recovered. Shah Fahad, director-general of the provincial rescue service, said a search operation to find the three missing persons was still underway. 'Rescue 1122 operation is currently underway in different areas of Swat, including Khwaza Khela, Kabal Bypass and Barikot,' Fahad said in a statement. 'More than 120 personnel of Rescue 1122 are engaged in relief activities.' Flooding in the province has also damaged 56 houses, six of which were destroyed, the KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Friday. The ongoing spell of rains, which began on June 25, has killed a dozen people in the eastern Punjab province and delayed the arrival and departure of trains in Sindh province in the south. 'Twelve people died and 39 were injured in various accidents,' the Punjab PDMA said in a statement. 'Majority of deaths were caused by the collapse of roofs and walls.' Punjab PDMA chief Irfan Ali Kathia urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and not to stay in dilapidated homes in bad weather conditions. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has warned that the risk of heavy rains and possible flash floods will remain high until at least Tuesday. Babar Raza, a spokesperson for Pakistan Railways, told Arab News the weather conditions had affected the railway signaling system, while the speed of trains had also been deliberately reduced for the sake of passenger safety. 'As a result, some trains are reaching their destinations with a delay of three to four hours,' he said. 'No trains have been canceled so far.' Pakistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million inhabitants are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency. Last month, at least 24 people were killed in severe storms in the South Asian nation, which experienced several extreme weather events in the spring, including strong hailstorms.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Several killed as flash floods sweep away dozens of people in Pakistan
Flash floods have killed at least nine people in northern Pakistan after pre-monsoon rains swept away dozens of individuals. District administrator Shehzad Mahboob said on Friday that the nine people who were killed were from one extended family of 16 who were visiting the area and having a picnic breakfast by the Swat River, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Mahboob explained that children from the family were in the water taking photos when the flood occurred, relatives rushed in to save them, but were trapped in the deluge, which was exacerbated by the monsoon rains. Nine bodies had been recovered, with four members of the family still missing, while another four were rescued, Mahboob said. Earlier on Friday, Shah Fahad, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency service, said nearly 100 rescuers in various groups rescued 58 people and were looking for the tourists who had been swept away. Fahad called on the public to strictly adhere to earlier government warnings about a possible flash flood in the Swat River, a popular destination for tourists in the summer and Minister Shehbaz Sharif 'expressed his grief over the tourists' deaths', a statement from his office said. Sharif added that he had called on authorities to strengthen safety measures near rivers and streams. Meanwhile, according to rescue officials, at least 10 people were killed in rain-related incidents in eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces over the past 24 hours. Since the beginning of the week, heavy rains have battered parts of Pakistan, including blocking highways and damaging homes. According to weather forecasters, rains are expected to continue this week as the country's annual monsoon season, which runs from July through September, begins. However, weather forecasters are predicting less rain to fall in Pakistan during the monsoon season this year compared with 2022, when the intense rainfall flooded rivers, killing 1,739 people.
