MULTAN: Poor sanitation and lack of cleanliness are contributing to the rapid spread of viral, bacterial and parasitic infections in Multan, health practitioners warned.
The unhygienic environment is resulting in fever, fatigue, cough, aches, and other illness-related symptoms. Experts explained that viruses – microscopic agents that invade a host’s cells and force them to replicate – spread through various means, including respiratory droplets, contaminated surfaces, and bodily fluids.
The people have urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to expedite the ‘Suthra Punjab’ campaign in Multan to improve deteriorating sanitation conditions. Gastroenteritis remains the most widespread disease affecting both urban and rural areas of Multan, largely due to poor cleanliness.
Health practitioners at Nishtar Hospital reported that gastro infections, caused by viral, bacterial, or parasitic agents, typically spread through contaminated food, unsafe drinking water, or direct person-to-person contact. Other causes may include chemicals, certain medicines, and transmission in crowded living or working conditions such as daycares and nursing homes.
According to the hospital’s patient registration records, 91 gastro patients were admitted between November 20 and 26 – a figure described as alarming by medical staff. Of these cases, 16 were children and 75 adults.
On average, 15 gastro patients are being admitted daily, underscoring the severity of the situation. Doctors emphasized that poor sanitation is a major driver of gastroenteritis, which causes diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, and is commonly spread through the fecal-oral route due to inadequate hygiene. The health experts explained that gastro spreads rapidly when pathogens from infected human or animal stools contaminate the environment and enter a new host.
Poor access to clean drinking water and inadequate wastewater disposal allow fecal matter to pollute wells, rivers, and other water sources – a major cause of diarrheal diseases such as cholera. Contaminated food is another key source of infection.
Unhygienic food preparation practices, improper storage, and insufficient handwashing by food handlers greatly increase risks. Undercooked meat and seafood can harbor bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. In crowded environments such as daycares and parks, surfaces like toys and diapers often become contaminated, allowing infections to spread quickly. Open defecation near residential areas and the unsafe disposal of children’s stools further intensify transmission risks. Flies landing on fecal matter can carry pathogens to food and household surfaces, creating multiple pathways for infection.
A senior professor of medicine noted that person-to-person contact remains one of the most common transmission routes. Germs spread easily when infected individuals do not wash their hands properly after using the toilet or cleaning up vomit or diarrhea and then touch other people or shared surfaces.
Contaminated food and water – including undercooked meat, unpasteurized dairy, and produce washed in unsafe water – continue to be major sources of infection. Poor food handling practices, such as using the same cutting board for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods, also contribute to cross-contamination. Inadequate sanitation systems and unsafe drinking water create an environment in which gastroenteritis spreads rapidly.
The civil society activists, including Punjab Labour Alliance Chairman Ghazi Ahmed Hassan Khokhar, have appealed to the Punjab chief minister for urgent intervention to improve cleanliness conditions. They stressed the need to accelerate the ‘Suthra Punjab’ campaign in Multan so residents can breathe in a cleaner and safer environment.
Published in The NEWS on November 29, 2025.
