PESHAWAR: Health department has deployed teams in flood-stricken districts to scale up knowledge of healthcare providers on case definitions of priority diseases and importance of timely data compilation to prevent further transmission as Public Health Reference Laboratory has started collecting samples of affected people to ascertain the onset of epidemics.

A health department team on Monday visited Buner, the worst-hit district, where it inspected medical camps set up by the department and partner organisations and gave them tips about compiling data of prevalent ailments so that timely response could be ensured, a press release said.

Dr Shahid Yunis, the director-general of health services, said that they focused on recording and reporting of communicable disease cases. Presently, situation was under control as the department was in close contact with district health authorities regarding prevalence of diseases and requirements of medical supplies, he said.

He said that the local administrations were on board to ensure that the medical staff deployed in the calamity-hit districts work in coordination with partner organisations and avoid duplication of activities.

Report says 21,853 cases of communicable ailments recorded in affected districts

Meanwhile, Public Health Reference Laboratory of Khyber Medical University has set up camps in Buner to provide treatment as well diagnostic services to people.

Lab scientists at these camps said that they were recording most cases of malaria because people were exposed to mosquito-bites due to power outages caused by the floods. However, they said that health department dispatched medicines as well as bed nets to safeguard people against vector-borne diseases.

A press release said that KMU Vice-chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq has deployed its PHRL team in Buner following the recent floods. The team, consisting of trained medical laboratory technicians and specialists, is providing to people diagnostic and healthcare services in coordination with the district health officer.

A collection point has been set up in Buner with rapid testing kits to conduct tests on the spot while other tests are being sent to PHRL Peshawar for immediate processing. The team has also visited various medical camps to inform people about the testing services.

Doctors are also collecting samples from people to test them for cholera but so far no case has been reported.

According to a report released by Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSRS) of the public health section at directorate-general health services, so far 350,329 patients have been examined in flood-affected districts. It said that 21,853 cases of communicable diseases were reported, including 3,256 cases recorded during the last 24 hours.

According to it, the number of patients suffering from acute respiratory infection was 1,358 during the last 24 hours. It said that 26 cases of bloody diarrhoea, 932 cases of acute diarrhoea, one case of snake bite, 379 cases of scabies, 47 cases of malaria, 100, cases of eye infections and 23 cases of dog bites were reported.

The province-wide report said that 54 dengue patients were detect in the last 24 hours, making the total tally of the vector-borne diseases 595 this year so far. Of the total patients, 527 have recovered and the number of active cases is 68.

Only 44 patients are currently under-treatment in three hospitals including 38 in district headquarters hospital Charsadda, 38 in Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex Nowshera and three in King Abdullah Teaching Hospital Mansehra.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2025