Leishmaniasis outbreak: Third round of vaccination starts in Mohmand

Round starts after FC provides stock of vaccine

SHABQADAR: Struggling to contain an outbreak of leishmaniasis in the agency owing to shortage of vaccine, the Mohmand Agency administration has decided to launch a third round of immunisation with the help of Frontier Corps (FC) North.

The political administration and health officials of Mohmand Agency said that after they received 400 injections of the vaccine from the FC headquarters, the third phase of leishmaniasis treatment campaign was launched in selected health facilities of the agency.

Health officials added that on the first day of the campaign, 282 patients — mostly children — were treated. These included 68 in Prang Ghar, 35 in Baizai, 64 in Lakaro, 48 in Kandaro and 67 in Mamad Ghat.



As a preventive measure, 400 long lasting insecticide nets (LLIN) were also handed over to residents of Safi Prang Ghar and Baizai. Another 120-bed nets were handed over to the Baizai Tehsildar for onward distribution in Ghanam Shah, Yari Khel and Spenki Tangi area. The officials added that the campaign will last until all registered and under-treatment patients receive their third dose.



They added that the administration is confident that owing to the timely help extended by IG FC  Waseem Ashraf in arranging the rare Glucantime injections, not only the existing patients will get adequate treatment but any new patients, if any, shall also be treated in the agency.

The disease broke out and spread through much of the agency a month ago. It quickly exhausted the agency’s vaccine stock, forcing officials to seek additional vaccine from different quarters including the WHO and Fata Secretariat.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2018.