ISLAMABAD: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has issued Seasonal Awareness and Alert Letter for infectious diseases in the country.

The main purpose of the letter is to alert all health authorities and professionals at all levels on timely and efficient response to outbreaks/epidemics.

The letter has been written for the summer/monsoon season, that is, for the period up to September.

In the letter, the NIH has revealed patterns of high-priority communicable diseases, including hepatitis (A and E), cholera, Covid-19, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Den­gue fever, Leishmaniasis, malaria, measles, polio and XDR typhoid.

Through the letter, the NIH has informed health officials about national and international public health threats like Primary Amebic Menin­goencephalitis (Naegleria fowlery) and heatstroke as the national threat while Ebola virus disease as threat for any country in the region in future.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2021