Education: Booklet to raise awareness about diseases

It contains information about 35 common diseases and preventive measures

LAHORE: A group of doctors has compiled an informative booklet on 35 common diseases and ways to prevent them.

“We decided to publish a book about common diseases which claim hundreds of lives every year,” said Dr Salman Kazmi of Mayo Hospital. “Infections or communicable diseases are very common in our society. This includes pneumonia, hepatitis A, B, C, rubella, dengue fever and measles. If we can educate the people, especially children, about their symptoms and preventions, it will be very helpful,” he said.

“The book titled: Sehat Taleem Say has 35 pages. It is available in both Urdu and English,” he said.Kazmi said that during 2011, 342 deaths were reported due to dengue fever. “Measles claimed 300 lives in 2013-14 and tuberculoses 92,” he said.

He said the booklet should be made part of the curriculum.

King Edward Medical University’s Prof Irshad Hussain Qureshi said that prevention of communicable diseases was very important. “This is only possible if the people are able to identify diseases and take appropriate preventive steps. This is a tremendous effort to provide basic information about common communicable diseases to school children,” he said. Separately, a ceremony was held on Saturday at the Lahore General Hospital to launch Hussain Ahmed Khaqan’s book Approach to Clinical Ophthalmology.

Post Graduate Medical Institute and Lahore General Hospital Principal Prof Kahlid Mahmood was the chief guest on the occasion. Prof Khalid Masud Gondal, Prof Agha Shabbir Ali and Prof Ghayasun Nabi Tabyyab were also present. Mahmood said that Dr Khaqan had earlier written another book which had proved to be very useful for medical students. “The author has completed two books within one and half years. This is quite commendable,” he said.

He said that the books should be available in libraries of all medical colleges. “There is no dearth of talent and potential in Pakistan. Dr Khaqan is serving as assistant professor in the Eye Department of Lahore General Hospital,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.