Daily Times

An uncontrolled outbreak of infectious disease, Leishmania, appears to have badly gripped Landi Kotal where the official figure for affectees has crossed 15000. According to a health official, the more affected areas remain Shiekhmal Khel and Mirdad Khel while cases have also been filed from Bazaar Zakha Khel, Khuga Khel, Khyber, Shelman and Pased Khel.

Local, meanwhile, claimed that hospitals lacked the vaccinations and medicine required to nip the disease in the bud.

Landi Kotal Hospital’s Leishmania Control Center In charge Ihsanullah Afridi asserted that every month, 50 to 100 new cases were reported to the centre, according to which, as many as 4000 Leishmania patients were presently registered while the unregistered affectees stood somewhere between 8000 to 10000, with a majority of children. He added that 1350 patients had been treated so far while 2357 patients awaited proper treatment due to lack of medicines.

The official maintained that the health department was able to provide 2160 Leishmania through a collaboration with Senator Taj Muhammad Afridi. Yet, the demand was not met and 140 patients were treated through the vaccination, he added.

Shahid Shinwari is a political worker who lives in Dargay, Kam-Shelman. He said that the disease had enveloped the whole area and, thus, needed war footed initiatives.

He suggested to set up special medical camps in every locality to provide treatment to the Leishmania patients in addition to the effective utilisation of Basic Health Units available in the areas.

The affected families also demanded the concerned authorities for a supply of the needed vaccination to get rid of the illness. They also called for conduction of anti-mosquito sprays in the area to halt the spread of the disease.

According to Dr Fazal Razeq, a skin specialist in Headquarter Hospital Landi Kotal, Leishmania is caused by the bite of a kind of mosquito namely, sand fly, present in the hilly areas, which usually breeds in fresh water.

The carrier was said to have been transported from Europe to Pakistan and it stung on the exposed human body, especially in morning and evening hours. It could fly up to a height between four to five feet, making children its severest affectees, he informed.

He further added that after the bite, the disease developed as a skin sore, which, if not treated properly, could spot the affected area, especially the face.

He noted that it took somewhere between 14 days to four months to treat the patient while the cure was carried out through vaccine (injection), medicine and cryotherapy keeping in view condition of the disease.

“Covering of ponds, clearing of drainage system, conducting of anti-mosquito spray regularly in addition with use of dress that covers the whole body and installing of nets on windows and entrances before going to sleep are the main prevention necessary to curtain the Sandfly breeding and halt to spread of the disease,” Dr Razeq maintained.

When Health Director Dr Rehman was contacted on the matter, he believed that so far 25000 cases had been registered with the health department from across the merged tribal districts, including 9000 cases from district Khyber.

He added that three Leishmania control centres had been set up in Landi Kotal, Jamrud and Bara whereas health officials had been asked to launch comprehensive activities including treatment, prevention and awareness pertaining to the disease. Approximately 38000 Leishmania injection had been imported from abroad to be provided to the former-tribal belt and further assistance and support would be extended till elimination of the disease, Dr Rehman remarked.

He asked residents of the most affected areas to strictly follow the prevention practices, including wearing full-sleeved dresses and anti-mosquitoes medicines. The director asked especially children and pregnant women to practice caution from 6 pm to 6 am to avoid a further spread of the disease.