Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Acute Respiratory Infection is a disease afflicting large numbers of patients visiting public sector hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 33.26 per cent of the Out Patients Department visitors showed signs of the illness in 2016. This is up almost four per cent up from 2015, says a District Health Information System (DHIS) report. The report also suggests that the communicable disease of ARI was at the top of the list of ten communicable diseases for the past two years.

Respiratory tract infections (ARI) are illnesses caused by an acute infection which involves the upper respiratory tract including the nose, sinuses, pharynx or larynx. This commonly includes tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, and a severe common cold. Other diseases in the list of communicable diseases including diarrhoea in children, malaria, scabies, worm infestations, enteric, or typhoid fever,.

The annual DHIS reports of 2015-16 analysis urge the KP government to take prompt action to prevent communicable disease in the province and provide awareness to people regarding the ARI disease and its symptoms. The Health Department and other sectors in the province are advised to implement prompt strategies with pragmatic actions such as emergency allocation of funding to all government hospitals, BHUs and other health facilities centers to control ARI spread in the province.

Adil Khan, a senior official at the DHIS cell in KP told Daily Times that the report 2015-16 assists the district and provincial health managers to analyse the health situation, their services, and availability of drugs supplies, essential equipments and utilities. He said that report had a breakdown of the details of suggestions to improve the health services. “We have pointed out in the report that the ARI stands top in ten communicable diseases in the province, and it’s up to the provincial government to chalk out plans and execute them to control the disease” he added.

ARI Specialist at Sifat Ghayoor Children Hospital Peshawar Dr Imran said that the main cause of disease is increasing pollution. He said that ARI is a communicable disease which can be prevented by timely and effectively healthcare services. Coughs, headaches, fatigue, fever, itchy and watery eyes are the common symptoms of the disease, added Dr Imran.