Leishmaniasis outbreak: FC comes to Mohmand’s rescue

IG FC provides vials to replenish vaccine stocks


Our Correspondent May 25, 2018
PHOTO: REUTERS

SHABQADAR: As a leishmaniasis outbreak continues to spread in Mohmand, authorities in the tribal agencies have knocked on literally every door to seek vaccine. The latest source approached being the Frontier Corps.

According to a statement issued by the Mohmand Agency political administration on Thursday, the Inspector General of the force donated vaccine to combat the skin ulcers.

"On Thursday, Mohmand Agency received a much-needed batch of 400 Glucantime Vials (injections) for the treatment of Leishmaniasis-infected patients,” the statement read.

Malaria infecting 7,000 children annually in province

It added that the Mohamand Political Agent Wasif Saeed had approached the FC North Headquarters two weeks ago and sought help from Inspector General FC North. Mohmand, Saeed had told the force commander, had as many as leishmaniasis 1,700 patients, 1,400 of which were children.

Earlier in April upon request of the political administration, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) secretariat had issued 250 injections and another 100 injections were arranged from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government after the outbreak.

This stock, the political administration said, had been utilised by May 15. By then, each patient had been administered up to three doses which helped control the level of the toxicity and spread of skin sores (lesions). However, these were short of the three to eight doses a patient requires, depending on the type and extent of infection and age of the patient.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2018.

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