The Ministry of Health of Tajikistan has taken strict control over the quality of water in the border areas of the Panj River and in the regions of the Khatlon Region bordering Afghanistan. This is due to the registered cases of cholera in Afghanistan, as reported by Deputy Head of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance Service of the Ministry of Health, Navruz Jafarov.
The main reason for the checks is the cholera outbreak in Afghanistan, which reached a dangerous level last year. The disease affected the areas of Balkh, Kunduz, Takhar, and Badakhshan, as well as the regions bordering Tajikistan. In connection with this, water in the Panj River in the border areas is under strict control by specialists from the Republican Center for Combating Quarantine Diseases of the Ministry of Health, Jafarov stated.
He specified that a large-scale inspection of open water sources in the border areas of the Khatlon Region has been carried out since June 3. Specialists take water samples and conduct analyses to prevent the possible spread of infection.
In the Khatlon Region, cases of hospitalization of the population with various gastrointestinal diseases will also be monitored. Despite gastrointestinal infections being registered annually with varying frequency, medical professionals are showing particular vigilance in the current situation.
Jafarov emphasized that the concern is unnecessary, as the work being carried out is part of regular preventive measures.
The epidemiologist recommended that residents of border areas adhere to hygiene rules: thoroughly wash hands with soap, boil water for drinking and food preparation. These measures are aimed at preventing the possible spread of cholera and other gastrointestinal infections.
Earlier, despite no registered cases of cholera in the republic, the Ministry of Health of Tajikistan requested assistance from Rospotrebnadzor in organizing preventive monitoring and increasing readiness for possible complications of the epidemiological situation, including in border areas.
The sides agreed on joint work, which includes training Tajik specialists (laboratory technicians, epidemiologists, and infectious disease specialists), improving Tajikistan's laboratory capabilities, conducting joint research and exercises.
The negotiations took place on March 15 via video conference between the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, and the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan, Abduholik Amirzoda.
Cholera is a particularly dangerous infectious disease caused by the cholera vibrio (Vibrio cholerae). The toxins it produces affect the small intestine, causing watery diarrhea and vomiting.
The disease is transmitted fecal-orally through water or contaminated food. The source of infection is humans.
Cholera vibrio has a high resistance in the external environment: it can survive in feces for up to 150 days, in cesspools for up to 106 days, in soil for up to 60 days, and on the surface of fruits and vegetables for up to 4 days.
The microorganism enters the human body through the digestive tract. In the stomach, a significant portion of the vibrios perish due to the action of hydrochloric acid. The remaining bacteria penetrate the small intestine, which has an alkaline environment favorable for their reproduction.
The main symptom of cholera is profuse diarrhea, which is not accompanied by abdominal pain. The stool is watery, cloudy-white liquid with floating flakes ("rice water stool").
