February 16, 2007	Friday	Muharram 27, 1428

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LANDI KOTAL, Feb 15: Leishmaniasis or kalazar, a fatal tropical fever caused by sandfly bite, has broken out in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, badly infecting dozens of tribesmen and children of the Malik Din Khel and Qambar Khel areas.

Sources in health department confirmed to this correspondent on Thursday that due to biting of the sandfly, dozens of tribesmen had fallen ill.

Dr Sartaj Khan told this correspondent that most of the infected people were unaware of the nature of the disease, and they at first reportedly contacted quacks, who further aggravated the condition of their disease.

To a question, the doctor said that the treatment of the disease was quite expensive and most of the people could not afford its expenses.

When the doctor was asked about the precautionary measures, he said that a delta methane spray had been carried out in the areas hit by the disease and soon the sandfly would be eliminated from the area.

The people of the area have demanded of the government to take serious notice of the outbreak of the disease and send health teams to take first-hand knowledge about the prevalence of the disease in these areas.