Don’t let disease win

Despite the taxpayers’ money spent on instruments, staff salaries and office infrastructure, the HIV/AIDS control programme has failed. The disease has been spreading. The same is the case with hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria. How do we prevent these diseases from spreading? How can they be contained?

There is need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to controlling the diseases. The government needs to establish a centre for prevention and control of infectious diseases at divisional levels. It needs to set targets to eliminate them as soon and as efficiently as possible. The graduates of biological sciences, including physiology and microbiology, would be a great help here to promote health and hygiene. Lady health workers too are extremely important in this regard.

Shahrukh Haroon

Karachi