Daily Times

GHALLANAI: The outbreak of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, a rising epidemic in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency has raised alarms as 193 cases of the disease have been registered recently. Agency Surgeon Dr Raza Ullah feared the disease might break into other parts of the Agency.

Talking to Daily Times, he said the drive of vaccination to control leishmaniasis has been launched on emergency basis in the Safi tehsil. However, health authorities in other tehsils of the agency have also been alarmed about a possible outbreak. Leishmaniasis is transmitted by the bite of female Phlebotomine sand fly.

Dr. Razaullah said the disease was a major public health problem in the Agency, especially alongside regions bordering Afghanistan and the tehsils of the agency with a heavy influx of refugees.

He said that the campaign would be conducted in all eight tehsils of the Agency against the outbreak of the Leishmaniasis. He also called upon the public health agencies in Pakistan, especially the National Institute of Health and the provincial health departments to design and implement policy on the control of disease spreading vectors in Pakistan.

“Health Directorate of FATA Secretariat is unable by providing the required back up in the time,” he added. He said that the disease was spreading despite spraying in the affected areas and the distribution of mosquito nets in residences. Razaullah said patients should receive treatment at facilities experienced in treating the disease as per latest guidelines”. He also appealed to World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide quality vaccines for the Mohmand Agency to control the further outbreak of the disease at the Agency.

The FATA Secretariat has provided one hundred injections after demanding more than 1,500 injections in order to control the out break of the Leishmaniasis disease, according to Dr Razaullah.