KOHAT: Another child died of diphtheria in Ghulam Banda area here on Thursday, taking the death toll to two in last couple of days.

Dr Mohabat, in-charge of Expanded Programme on Immunisation, told this scribe on phone that there had been reported third patient who was being treated.

He claimed that three government teams were working in the area which had so far vaccinated around 500 children between five and 15 years of age.

He said that they would go door to door to vaccinate another 350 children in the second phase.

According to a statement, Sarhad Rural Support Programme vaccinated around 1,100 children in two days with the help of Izahar Welfare Organization and other NGOs. It said that there were more infected cases in the area.

Sources said that both the children who died had not been vaccinated earlier in childhood.

They said that two teams of vaccinators had been sent to the affected Ghulam Banda area.

They said that the victims had been identified as Abdullah and Umar Farooq.

PROTEST: Members of the All Secretaries Association of the local government at a protest demanded upgradation to BPS-14 here on Thursday.

Secretary general of the association Samiullah Khan and its office-bearers, including Jasim Bangash and Tafseer Hussain, also participated in the protest.

They threatened to launch a pen down strike from January 29 if their demand was not accepted.

The secretaries said that too much work was taken from them by calling them for admission of out-of-school children, polio campaigns and Nadra registration, but they were being denied upgradation.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2018