Typhus Outbreak Near Capital

Most are school-age children, and the disease has already claimed its first victim, a 12-year-old girl.



As report Ismattullo Azizzoda founde when he went to the village, typhus outbreaks are an annual occurrence here, caused by the polluted water the villagers use.



Whole families have been laid low by typhus. “There were 20 or 25 a day coming in with high temperatures,” said Shomamad Sadulloev, the head doctor at the district hospital, adding that because it takes at least ten days to conduct tests, only 17 of the 100 or so suspected cases have been confirmed.



Ganjobod does not have its own source of water, and is supplied from the mains. However, when power cuts over the winter stopped the electric pumps from keeping the water flowing, villagers laid their own pipe to a neighbouring village which has its own spring.



As Dr Sadulloev explained, the spring water might be fit for drinking, but it becomes polluted by other subsoil waters contaminated with waste. Heavy rainfall in February washed dirty water into the system, and the doctor believes that caused the typhus outbreak.