DADU, Jan 29: Thousands of people belonging to at least 40 villages of Johi Taluka have been infected with a skin disease, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, but no teams of the health department have visited the villages.

The poor people are waiting for medicines and doctors at their homes in the far-flung areas of Johi Taluka.

According to a survey conducted by this correspondent in many villages lying on the west of Johi Taluka, which is called Kachho, it was learnt that the disease has spread to more villages. Hundreds of people were suffering from Cutaneous Leishmaniasis since the last three months but the health department had done nothing about it.

The majority of the patients were children who seemed to be in the worst condition as they were waiting in their houses for doctors and medicines.

Their parents being poor had no money to travel to town hospitals or basic health units for the treatment of their children.

Almost five or six members of each family were suffering from the disease.

The officials of the Health Department, Dadu District, were not working properly in the villages and were not accepting the ground realities of the alarming situation.

The in charge, Fateh Khan village community health centre, Dr Aziz Babar, told this correspondent that he had examined a thousand patients suffering from the disease in 16 villages: Bahawal Babar, Chiddi, Sher Talpur, Moosa Jamali, Jam Babar, Surhiya, Pat Suleman, Punhoon Khan Chandio, Yar Lund, Abbas Lund, Ranjho Babar, Pir Bux Lashari, Dodo Birhamani, Rasool Bux Jamali, Meehon Jamali, and Fateh Khan.

He said that on an average the condition of every 15th patient seemed to be serious in every village.

He said that the Health Department had not provided a single tablet or antimony injection for the disease ever since its breakout three months ago.

Citing the reason for the outbreak of the disease, he said one was infected with the disease on being bitten by the sand fly (vector).

He warned that if the health department did not take action on an emergency basis, the entire population of the area would be infected with this disease within a short period.

It may be mentioned here that the Fateh Khan village community health centre is being run with support from an NGO, Shadabad Village Welfare Organization, ever since June 1, 2000.

When this correspondent visited Zuhree village, some 120 kms from Dadu, the head of the Younus Khan Zuhree village told him that of the 200 people who lived in the village 50 had been affected by the disease and were in a terrible state.

He said that not a single team of doctors had visited his village even though the people had been suffering from the disease since the last three months, and added that a boy and a girl were in a deplorabale state.