Palestinian doctors team dispatched on PM's directive

ISLAMABAD - In the wake of reports of diarrhoea outbreak in DI Khan, on the directives of the Prime Minister, a team of Palestinian doctors which had arrived in Pakistan to help with flood relief effort was rushed to the area, a spokesman of the Ministry of Health confirmed. The six-member team comprises doctors, technicians and paramedics. A separate team of Pakistani doctors including experts on epidemics and surveillance has also been dispatched to the area to assist the Provincial Health Department in ascertaining the cause of the spread of infection and containing it, the spokesman said. The teams dispatched to the district by the Ministry of Health are carrying diarrhoeal treatment kits and emergency health kits good for 36,000 patients, the spokesman informed. Meanwhile, a special centre to deal with Diarrhoea related complaints has been set up at Rural Health Centre in Parva, DI Khan with support of the International Committee of the Red Cross. So far 6 diarrhoea related deaths been reported by the EDO Health, DI Khan of which 3 were confirmed to be associated with acute watery diarrhoea whereas the other 3 resulted from other causes, the spokesman said. Although there is overall a slight increase in number of reported acute watery diarrhoea cases in DI Khan but the cases are sectored and no clustering of cases has been observed so far, the spokesman said. A total of 65 children reported at the DHQ hospital DI Khan with acute watery diarrhoea symptoms whereas 23 males and 26 female patients complaining of similar condition were seen by the medical staff at the DHQ hospital. We are keeping a close vigil and the surveillance team now in DI Khan alongside the Federal Health Em-ergency Surveillance team in Islamabad are monitoring the situation on regular basis and further steps will be taken accordingly the spokesman assured.

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