KARACHI, July 6: Infectious diseases, coupled with malnutrition, make the early years of young Pakistanis belonging to the middle-class and the poor families difficult.

This was stated by two paediatricians, Dr Anita Zaidi and Prof Gaffar Billo at a seminar held at the Aga Khan University on Saturday.

They said that about 30 to 40 per cent of the Pakistani children suffer from malnutrition. They said that malnutrition and infectious diseases created a vicious cycle, breaking which was not easy.

Lack of proper nourishment weakens the immune system of a child, thereby exposing him or her to infectious diseases, they said. “A child may even die, if this cycle is not broken in time,” said Dr Zaidi.

Answering a question, Dr Billo said that children belonging to the rural areas, who survived the first couple of years despite being exposed to infections, often had immunity against diseases. “That’s why they do not fall sick in later years,” he said.

This had created an impression that people belonging to the rural areas were physically stronger than those living in the cities and towns. “However, what is not taken into account normally is that too many children from the rural areas die during the first two years of their lives,” he said.

Giving the statistics of Hala, Prof Billo said that out of every 1,000 newborns, as many as 250 died during the first couple of years. “But when some non-governmental organizations started working in Hala, and awareness was spread about some common infections, the mortality rate dropped to about 50,” claimed Prof Billo.

During her presentation, Dr Zaidi stressed that children should be given mother’s milk only in the first four to six months of his or her life. “During this period, nothing else is required. Not even water,” she remarked.

Dr Zaidi emphasised that every child should be vaccinated against all the diseases, which were dealt with under the Expanded Programme on Immunization. However, she said, it was strange that under the EPI, as many as 13 types of vaccines and drops were available free of cost, yet the coverage was less than 50 per cent.

The potable water should be boiled for at least 10 minutes before being given to children, she said adding that parents should also avoid giving the junk food to children.

She also stressed on washing hands with soaps. “All the members of a family should wash their hands with soap before taking meals, and after spending some hours outside their homes,” said the paediatrician. However, she admitted that use of antiseptic or medicated soaps was not necessary.

Newborns and infants should not be taken to the crowded places like restaurants, as their immune systems were inherently weak, she said.

Dr Zaidi said that parents and relatives of an infant should also avoid kissing newborns on their faces.

She further said that smoking around children should be avoided at all costs. She referred to some studies, according to which, children whose parents used to smoke were three times more vulnerable to respiratory complications than the children, whose parents did not smoke in front of them.

Dr Zaidi said children should never be allowed to play with stray dogs and cats. Seemingly harmless scratches made by stray animals could lead to rabies, which was a fatal disease. Parents should also avoid unnecessary injections to their children because hepatitis, HIV and AIDS could be transmitted to one’s child if the needle in question had already been used by a diseased person, said Dr Zaidi.

Dr Ayesha Mirza also spoke on the occasion.