By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: Sindh Provincial Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho said on Friday that the delay in the treatment of rabid dog-bite cases caused death to the citizens in Sindh.
She said that National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad prepares anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) but the amount of production is not sufficient.
The precious time of the patients, infected from rabies encephalitis, a dog-borne viral illness, is wasted at their home in the treatment from unproven local remedies (totkay), she said. Every citizen and department need to make collective efforts for a rabies-free Sindh, she said.
“The widespread tropical disease, Leishmaniasis is endemic to Pakistan.”
The lady minister was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the International Workshop on “New Anti-leishmanial Lead from Natural Sources: Concept and Approaches” held at the Prof. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium. Scholars from 20 countries are participating in the international workshop jointly organized by Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi (UoK) and the UK-based global Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) network.
Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Chairman, Prime Minister’s National Task Force on Science and Technology, Chairperson Dr. Panjwani Memorial Trust Ms. Nadira Panjwani, Chairman Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation Mr. Aziz Latif Jamal, Director ICCBS Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Prof. Dr. Paul W. Denny of NTD, WHO representative Dr. Sara Salam, Prof. Dr. Tabbasum Mahboob, Dean Faculty of Science, and Dr. Sammer Yousuf also spoke on the occasion.
Dr. Pechuho said that dog bites in humans had become a public health problem worldwide. She said that rabid dog-bite cases were mishandled by the citizens, and come late to the hospitals. She added that the unwanted delay usually caused death to rabies-infected people.
To a query, she said that the anti-rabies vaccines were available in the public hospitals but not sufficient in amount. She said that dengue was endemic to the country, but as compared to other cities, the spread of dengue was under control in Karachi.
This is a very positive sign that the international workshop will discuss strategies to control and treat the widespread tropical disease leishmaniasis, which is endemic to Pakistan, she said.
This is quite heartening to know that this workshop has brought together many scientists and young researchers from four continents, including Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America to Pakistan to discuss strategies to control and treat tropical disease, the minister said.
Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman said that NTD was a diverse group of communicable diseases, prevailing in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries, affected more than one billion people. He pointed out that during the last 25 years only two percent of drugs, approved by FDA, were for the tropical neglected diseases.
The public-private partnership is the hallmark of the international center, where research, academic and other productive activities are always in progress, he said.
A large number of accolades that the ICCBS – University of Karachi has earned speak volumes over the excellence of this finest research establishment of the developing world, he added.
Mr. Aziz Latif Jamal pointed out that the theme of this event was very relevant to the current health care challenges of the country, as the nation faces a triple burden of infectious, metabolic and genetic diseases.
Prof. Iqbal Choudhary said that the international workshop was at the interface of chemistry and biology.
Training sessions, under this workshop for young scholars, will help build Pakistan’s capacity to work in the field of anti-parasitic diseases, using natural flora as the key source of new drugs.
The ICCBS is one of the premier research establishments in the developing world, he said. Talking about the Industrial Analytical Center (IAC), he said that the IAC offers a range of professional analytical and consultancy services to the industries, and other private and public sector organizations.
Prof. Dr. Paul W. Denny said that NTD program would fight diseases in the world’s poorest countries. Support will target neglected tropical diseases, which cause disability and death, he said.
Ms. Nadira Panjwani appreciated the efforts of Prof. Iqbal Choudhary and his team for organizing such a constructive workshop, and said that the presence of national and foreign scholars in the workshop was quite encouraging. She said that Leishmaniasis was really a serious health problem in the country. Dr. Panjwani center encourages its scholars to carry out researches on the tropical neglected diseases, she said.
The WHO representative, Dr. Sara Salam said that NTDs were linked with poor nations.
She pointed out that leishmaniasis was also associated with a poor living environment.
Prof. Tabbasum Mahboob said that the participants in the workshop were from 20 counties, which showed the stature of Dr. Panjwani Center organizing such a useful global event.
In the end, Dr. Sammer Yousuf presented a vote of thanks.
