Cholera outbreak reported from Swabi, Pakistan

Swabi - An outbreak of cholera and gastroenteritis has been reported from Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, affecting more than a hundred people.

The Express Tribune reported on Wednesday that around 130 people affected by cholera and gastroenteritis were hospitalized in a remote rural area of the village of Gadoon in Swabi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The paper quoted a local government official telling that the affected people had been drinking water from a contaminated spring in the area which was what led to the outbreak of the disease. According to the paper, an administrative official from the respective hospital in Topi area has confirmed admitting 35 cholera patients so far. In August 2010, following large floods in the country as a result of torrential monsoon rains, the United Nations confirmed the first case of cholera in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In October that year, the website of the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the confirmation of 99 cholera cases in the country. The cases were reported from three provinces including Sindh and Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.