SRINAGAR, Sep 29: Manzoor Ahmad (name changed) tried to put up a brave face when he started having symptoms of a heart ailment. One fine day, his chest pain became so unbearable that he was rushed to the hospital. After a detailed examination, doctors diagnosed him with endocarditis, a rare heart infection among drug addicts.
“He had relapsed many times. As a result, he developed a heart infection. This disease was rare in Kashmir a few years ago. Now, endocarditis is spreading fast among the young addicts,” said a doctor treating Manzoor.
Manzoor is not an isolated case. Youngsters are increasingly having heart attacks in Kashmir. Drug abuse has only complicated the problem in the valley.
“Drug abuse has created an alarming situation. Youngsters are the worst hit. Even some religious leaders are coming with a history of drug abuse,” said Dr Irfan Ahmad Bhat, a senior consultant at Government Medical College, Srinagar.
Endocarditis had almost been eliminated in Kashmir. Most drug abusers share needles, which fuels the infection in the heart and blockage of the arteries. “Every month we are seeing two to three cases of endocarditis. Earlier it was almost zero. Drugs have brought this infection back. Most of the patients are in the age group of 20 to 40. The worrying part is that most of them are students,” said Dr Bhat.
Data presented in the Legislative Assembly reveal that over 70,000 people, mostly youth, are involved in substance abuse in Kashmir. Of them, 50,000 are heroin users. The startling figures were based on a joint survey conducted by the Health and Social Welfare departments in 10 districts of Kashmir in 2022.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment recently revealed that more than 13.5 lakh people, including over 1.68 lakh minors between the ages of 10 and 17, are addicted to various substances in Jammu and Kashmir. Among these children, nearly 95,000 are opioid users — the most disturbing figure yet in a growing health and social emergency.
“Parents ought to play a key role in combating drug menace among youngsters. Earlier, heart disease was a phenomenon in elderly people. Now, young boys are having heart attacks. We are even placing stents into young boys. This year, World Heart Day’s theme is ‘don’t miss the beat ’. We have to be careful,” said Dr Bhat.