Health review: ‘Respiratory infections top diseases’

Report says Badin, Benazirabad, Swat districts show highest incidence.


Express December 11, 2011

ISLAMABAD:


Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs), gastrointestinal infections and scabies were among the top diseases reported across the country in November, according to a report released by The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).


Among the 1,964,518 cases reported in monitored districts, ARIs were the most common, accounting for 45 per cent of the total. A fifth were cases of diarrhoea and dysentery, 13 per cent were scabies, two per cent gastroenteritis and one per cent malaria. Other diseases constituted 18 per cent of total recorded cases.

Badin and Benazirabad districts in Sindh, and Swat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reported the highest number ARI cases among all monitored districts - 35,234; 27,242 and 21,572 cases respectively. Among provinces, Punjab took the lead with regards to the number of diseases reported (58 per cent); among them were a high number of ARI, gastrointestinal infections, scabies, TB and animal bite cases.

One of the three confirmed polio cases was also reported in September in Lodhran District.

Sindh followed with 28 per cent of the total cases, and K-P accounted for 10 per cent of all reported diseases, placing third.

Balochistan and the Islamabad Capital Territory reported fewer cases, with a total of 57,918 cases in 11 districts and 2,468 cases respectively. These included 1,636 cases of ARIs, 828 of gastrointestinal infections and four confirmed cases of TB.

The report also revealed that of the 2,608 hepatitis cases reported in 33 districts nationwide, 1,580 were recorded in nine districts in Punjab and 582 in K-P’s 10 districts. A total of 1,447 cases of tuberculosis were reported in 24 health offices nationwide. Five of these offices in Punjab recorded 858 cases, followed by 349 in nine districts in K-P, 192 in Sindh’s four districts, 33 in Balochistan, 11 in FR Peshawar and four cases in ICT. Gujranwala, Sahiwal and Bhakkar districts in Punjab reported 371 cases, 296 cases, and 135 respectively, the highest among all monitored districts.

About 124 cases of infant mortality were recorded in health offices in 29 districts. Eighty five of these were reported in 19 districts of Punjab and 25 in Sindh’s four districts.

There were another eight in four districts of K-P and six in two Balochistan districts. As many as 1,674 infants died before reaching the age of 12 months - 1,602 in 17 districts of Punjab and 44 in K-P’s five districts.

The number of animal bite cases recorded in September was 9,826. Of these, 8,605 were dog bites; 6,143 cases were reported in 26 districts in Punjab and 2,132 in Sindh’s 14 districts. In K-P, 237 cases in 12 districts and 93 in eight districts of Balochistan were reported.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2011.

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