BADIN: Panicked parents of ailing children with diphtheria-like symptoms were seen visiting the government dispensary in Seerani town and various other healthcare facilities in the surrounding areas in large numbers following arrival of health experts to investigate recent deaths of four children.

District Health Officer Dr Liaquat Ali Qambrani, the visiting teams of doctors, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) focal person and local representative of the World Health Organisation spent a busy day on Tuesday collecting details about the child patients with diphtheria-like symptoms but could not reach a conclusion.

Dozens of such cases were examined but doctors did not find evidence of diphtheria in any of the patients though their parents desperately sought proper treatment to save their children’s life. Some parents told this reporter that doctors prescribed pills and syrups for their ailing children instead of vaccination against diphtheria. Rumours kept making rounds in the area that diphtheria had already claimed 10 children’s lives within a few days but the officials concerned appeared not ready to confirm any diphtheria death without a solid evidence.

A health expert, who also visited the affected area, requesting anonymity claimed that more than 30 children with ‘suspected diphtheria’ needed proper attention and urgent vaccination in order to pre-empt an outbreak. He apprehended that mishandling of the situation by the doctors assigned the job might worsen the situation. He was of the view that the 30 children should be kept under intensive care in the given situation considering that diphtheria was a life-threatening disease.

Meanwhile, Dr Qambrani speaking to this reporter said the visiting doctors were abreast of the situation and doing their job properly and, therefore, there was no justification for people of get panicked. He said patients with suspected diphtheria were not being vaccinated because the indented vaccine was yet to arrive here. He hoped that it would be available within a couple of days.

Badin Deputy Commissioner Dr Hafeez Ahmed Siyal told this reporter that there was no panic in the area over the disease but concern among parents of ailing children was understandable. He also expressed his satisfaction over the handling of the situation by the health officials concerned and visiting doctors. He said not only the 30 patients, but hundreds of children in the coastal area would be vaccinated against diphtheria in the coming days.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2019