WHO warns of cholera outbreak after heavy rains

Health officials have warned of a cholera outbreak in Rawalpindi, twin city of the capital, Islamabad, following torrential rains which pounded parts of Pakistan’s central and northern earlier this week. While unable to confirm the number of suspected cases of the disease, an official of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said there was “huge potential” for an outbreak. Though it can take up to a month for the disease to develop in a person, cholera could spread “easily and quickly” in the right circumstances if not controlled or treated at an early stage, he said. The rains, the heaviest in Pakistan this century, are believed to have contaminated drinking water in Rawalpindi, which authorities are now trying to rectify by increasing the levels of chlorine. Water samples were being taken to determine how badly supplies had been affected, according to the WHO source. In addition, he warned of an increase in hepatitis cases and that there was growing concern over carcasses left on the roadsides as a result of the flooding. “There could also be a potential threat of anthrax,” the official said. According to media reports, army teams have been sent in to remove dead cattle from Rawalpindi. With the rain forcing rats and snakes out of sewers, an increase in bites was expected. “We are preparing anti-snake venom,” the WHO official told IRIN. With torrents sweeping away mud huts which lined the river running through Rawalpindi, the devastation caused by the flooding mostly affected the poor. “They have lost everything,” the WHO official noted. Although the area had almost dried up, residents could still be seen bailing out water on Friday.