Leishmaniasis affects over 400 in Mohmand.

Over 400 people affected by leishmaniasis in Pandiali tehsil of Mohmand tribal district have been hospitalised.

Local people told mediapersons here on Tuesday that the affected areas included Danish Kool, Darra, Garai and Ismail Sher Kallay in Pandiali tehsil besides some localities of Haleemzai tehsil.

Ghualm Sher, a resident, said that his daughter was among the over 400 affected people. Ziaur Rehman, whose son is also suffering from the disease, said that the people had shifted their children to hospitals in Peshawar and Charsadda districts because treatment of leishmaniasis was not available in Mohmand hospitals.

DG health services visits affected areas in Karak district

'We are paying up to Rs1,000 per vaccine and Rs2,000 to 3,000 as taxi charges, which is not affordable for a poor tribesman,' he said. He said that most of the affected people were suffering from the disease for the last two months, but the health department did not send its teams to the area.

When contacted, district health officer Dr Alamgir Khan said that leishmaniasis was a skin disease caused by a sand fly present in hilly areas and usually breeding in fresh water.

He said that vaccines for treatment of leishmaniasis were not available in the country. He said that the health department had forwarded a request to the WHO officials for provision of the vaccines.

The residents have demanded of the chief minister to order provision of treatment facilities to patients in the area.

In Karak, local officials told director general health services, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Arshad Khan on Tuesday...