DADU, March 21: A boy and a man died of hepatitis-B and 50 children suffering from the disease were hospitalized on Saturday as the killer disease has spread to different parts of the district.

This was revealed by a survey conducted by this correspondent. The condition of 26 children admitted to private hospitals in Johi, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Sehwan is said to be critical.

Area Nazims, affected families and social workers have appealed to the health department and international donor agencies to send medical teams with hepatitis-B vaccines to the district.

Mohammad Yameen, 10, resident of Kakar town, Khairpur Nathan Shah taluka; and Mohammad Ilyas, 35, Potho village, Johi taluka, died of hepatitis-B in their homes.

The hospitalized children belonged to Wahi Pandhi, Tando Rahim, Chhinni, Sawaro, Fazal Jamali, Mureed Babar, Hero Khan, Keti Sujawal, Keti Wassan, Keti Ismail and Gozo areas of the three talukas.

They include Ashraf Ali, Ali Raza, Khuda Bux, Karim Bux, Ali Gul, Nasrullah, Ghulam Abbas, Mir Mohammad, Atta Mohammad Sikandar Ali, Manzoor Ali, Amir Bux, Imdad Ali, Fakir Mohammad, Ghulam Mustafa, Khalid Ahmad, Nazir, Rasheed Ahmad, Ali Asghar, Mohammad Arib, Ahmad Khan, Wali Mohammad, Juman, Naila and Aneela.

Child specialist Dr Abdul Razzaq Junejo of a private hospital said hepatitis-B had spread among children due to consumption of unhygienic food and polluted water.

He said the ratio of hepatitis-B among children between one to 12 years of age was increasing in remote areas of the district. He said in one day, 30 patients from different parts of Johi, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Dadu were coming to his hospital.

Child specialist Dr Mohammad Ismail Lashari of another private hospital said the patients of above the age of 12 years were also coming to his hospital. Dadu Civil Hospital civil surgeon Dr Javed Ahmad Dawach said the hospital was providing medicines to hepatitis-B patients. However, District Naib Nazim Dr Zahid Hussain Jatoi said the government hospitals were only providing medicines and vaccines of hepatitis-B to children under five years of age.

He said the district hospitals were short of hepatitis-B medicines. He appealed to donor agencies, oil and gas exploring companies and the Sindh government to provide the vaccine to health facilities in the district.

District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar said he had received complaints from different union council Nazims that hepatitis-B had spread in remote areas of Dadu.

He said he would pay surprise visits to hospitals in remote areas and if he found any irregularity he would issue termination orders of doctors and health officials concerned.