No epidemic of chickenpox in Punjab: WHO

LAHORE

Health Services Punjab  Director General Dr Faisal Zahoor presided over a meeting of Technical Working Group of Health Department to review the situation of chickenpox in different districts of the province at Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) here on Thursday.

According to a handout, The chief executive officers, district health authorities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Jhang, Bhakkar, Nankana Sahib, Toba Tek Singh and Sargodha as well as provincial representative of World Health Organisation Dr Jamshed, Children Hospital Lahore Medical Director Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore and other officers attended the meeting.

WHO representative Dr Jamshed said that there was no epidemic of chickenpox in Punjab, however, individual cases were being reported from different districts. The meeting was informed that vaccination of contact people of the patients and health providers was being carried out. Moreover, the authorities of Education Department have been advised to send the affected children on leave for one week to protect the other children.

The meeting was informed that at present, six patients of chickenpox are admitted in the hospitals; two in Children Hospital, Lahore and in Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Sufficient stock of anti-viral medicines is available and the medicines are being provided to the patients.

Prof Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathore said that chickenpox was commonly known as early age disease and majority of children suffered from the disease and cured in a few days which created lifelong immunity among the children. However, he said, that this time, the disease had changed its pattern and presently adults were also affected by the virus. It was informed that 16 deaths were reported due to chickenpox in Faisalabad, out of them, only two were children and the remaining were between the ages of 21 to 46 years.

The CEOs informed that mass awareness campaigns had been conducted in the affected districts and only in Faisalabad, health education sessions had been conducted in 196 educational institutions. Moreover, seminars, walks, radio programmes and advertisement campaign have been launched in the area. The experts recommended vaccination of all the health providers in the affected districts.

Health DG Dr Faisal Zahoor directed the officers concerned to procure 10,000 doses of vaccine on urgent basis for vaccination of health providers and contact people of the patients. It was also decided that the meeting of Steering Committee on EPI should immediately be called for seeking advice to include chickenpox vaccine in regular EPI programme.

The DG directed the health CEOs to be vigilant and monitor the situation in their respective districts and all arrangement must be ensured for the control of the disease and treatment of the patients.

Minister: A four-member delegation headed by Provincial Minister for Schools Education Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan has left for China on a three-day tour.

According to a handout issued here on Thursday, the delegation includes the Punjab Skills Development Fund chief executive officer, Punjab Vocational Training Council chairman and Tevta chairman. The delegation will hold meetings with Chinese officials for enhancing educational collaboration.

The delegation will also visit Chinese institutions and universities to review educational facilities being provided to the Chinese youth. Besides, negotiations will also be held with regard to conducting technical vocational courses for the youth. The delegations will return to Pakistan on April 30.