KARAK: Leishmaniasis, a skin disease caused by sand fly bite, is fast spreading across the district as 387 cases have been reported in a village of Nari Panos union council.

The health department has sent teams to Nari Panos and Bahaderkhel for treatment of the affected people, sources said on Sunday, adding 167 cases were reported in Bahaderkhel union council during last week. They said in Laghari Banda area of Takht-i-Nusrati, 37 patients, including children, had been affected by the sand fly bite this month.

The sources claimed that the number of patients was the rise with each passing day.

They said in majority of the cases the sand fly had bitten the patients on different parts of their faces, adding the bites left ugly scars on human faces.

The sources said the health department was doing its best to cope with the epidemic. They claimed that deputy commissioner Mian Abidullah Kakakhel had called a meeting with DHO Sadiq Shah Afridi to take stock of the situation. They said the health department had demanded provision of the injections for treatment of the patients.

Meanwhile, the locals criticised the health department for not providing the timely treatment as they could not afford the costly medicines. They demanded of the health department to send teams of doctors to the affected areas.

LAND DISPUTE RESOLVED: An old dispute between villagers of Gurguri and Orbashi over the ownership of nearby hills was resolved during a jirga called by district police officer Nausher Khan on Sunday.

Former MNA Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz and local elders also attended the open kutcheri.

The elders of the two villages thanked the DPO and the elders for playing a role in resolving the issue.

GAMBLERS ARRESTED: The police arrested eleven gamblers and seized over Rs180,000 stake money from their possession.

A press release said SHO Karak police station raided a vacant house in the old bazaar area in Karak city and arrested several persons while gambling.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2019