ISLAMABAD, May 31: Communicable diseases still account for a major cause of death in Pakistan while health indicators have been slow to improve due to various external and natural factors.

According to the Economic Survey 2011-12, the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) highlighted that the seven killer communicable diseases - tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis (bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing), neonatal tetanus, measles and hepatitis B - affected a large number of poor population.

The economic managers, however, failed to mention any facts or figures regarding the impact of communicable diseases on the population.

The survey also did not report any data about the deaths from communicable diseases while there was also no comparison with any of the previous years.

However, Dr Qutbuddin Kakar from the World Health Organistaion (WHO) said: “Total coverage against the disease of malaria in Pakistan is one per cent which should have been up to 80 per cent because malaria is a poor people’s disease.”

He said such a poor coverage against malaria was reported in the Demographic Health Survey 2006-07.

“The most areas affected by the disease are Fata and Balochistan along with interior of Sindh.”

“During the last several years, 1.6 million malaria cases have been recorded annually; however, the exact number of deaths is not available with any government or international organistaions,” said Dr Kakar.

Regarding dengue, he said it was an urban area disease and often hit major cities like Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi etc.

“In year 2011, some 300 deaths were reported because of dengue and most of these were in Lahore and other parts of Punjab,” said the WHO official.

He said communicable diseases were already putting a heavy burden on the economy of the country since the spending on health increased due to such cases.

Dr Qamarul Hasan, a health expert attached with an international humanitarian organisation, added: “Measles is also deadly since 12 children died of the disease in Fata recently.”

About polio, a Unicef official requesting not to be named said: “Polio is a deadly virus and is crippling the young population.

However, a strong immunisation drive will definitely contain the spread of the virus.”

In 2011, Pakistan recorded 198 polio cases - 30 per cent of global cases - while from January to mid-March, 11 new cases were reported. Pakistan and Nigeria are the only two countries where polio is still prevalent.

Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Prof Mahmood Jamal, told Dawn: “Communicable diseases like dengue, malaria, measles, tuberculosis and polio are behind a large number of deaths across Pakistan that have increased our budgets.”

He added: “You have to purchase platelet separators and other machines after outbreak of dengue in different parts of the country.”