DADU: Fumigation on a large scale across the Kachho belt and some rural areas of Dadu, Jamshoro and Hyderabad districts was under way on Sunday to contain the outbreak of vector-borne skin disease, cutaneous lieshmaniasis, in the region.

According to a fresh estimate verified by the health department on the basis of data collected from major hospitals and smaller health facilities, around 4,400 such cases have already been reported over the past week and dozens of more people were getting infected every day.

Health experts say that a particular species of sandflies causes the disease by stinging people’s exposed parts of the body in night hours. They believe that a wound appears on the skin about 30 days after one is stung and the wound then rapidly widens within hours.

Director General Health, Sindh, Dr Mohammad Jumman Bahoto announced distribution of nets in the affected UCs as part of measures to control the outbreak. He said 2,480 nets had been provided to the district health officer of Dadu through the vector-borne diseases section of his (DG’s) office. The nets, he said, were meant for the people of the worst-hit union councils.

Number of patients under treatment at health facilities rises to 4,400

He noted with concern that a total of 2,022 fresh cases were reported at various government hospitals in the district.

A 10-member team of specialists headed by Prof Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Abbasi from the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) is supervising the treatment side of the health department’s anti-epidemic campaign.

The department confirmed that around 2,900 cases were reported at the Johi Taluka Hospital, 1,000 at Dadu Civil Hospital, 400 at Khairpur Nathan Shah hospital and 100 cases were reported at Mehar hospital till Saturday evening.

Health officials said that fumigation in four worst-hit villages of Kamal Khan union council of Johi taluka had been completed over the last three days under the supervision Dr Zubir Ahmed Panhwar, the medical superintendent of the taluka hospital.

Dr Panhwar said that fumigation in other affected areas of the UC was under way and it would continue till Feb 9. He said his hospital was receiving such cases from Tando Rahim Khan, Sawaro, Chhinni, Drigh Bala, Kamal Khan, Tore and Pat Gul Mohammad UCs of the Kachho belt.

LUMHS vice chancellor Dr Ikramuddin Ujjan said there were 90 types of lieshmaniasis vectors of which mostly travel to this region from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. He said 60 per cent of cutaneous lieshmaniasis in Pakistan were reported in Balochistan, 30 per cent in Dadu district’s areas along the Sindh-Balochistan border and the rest in other parts of the country.

Treatment procedure

Dr Ujjan said that each patient of the disease has to be administered two antimony (Glucantime) injections a day for 21 days. The treatment is very costly [Rs1,600 to Rs3,200 per vial depending on brand, according to a market survey], he added.

He said the required quantum was not available at hand and, therefore, it was decided that production of the same be started at LUMHS immediately for Sindh government.

He stressed on preventive measures by people of the affected UCs, saying that they must keep face, hands, feet and other exposed part of their body covered in night hours and use nets while asleep. Sandflies rest in small holes in mud-built houses after sunset and swarm trees, plants and green pastures in sunlight, according to him.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2022