KARACHI, Jan 14: Experts deliberated on oncology, radiology, chronic kidney diseases during different sessions in the three day symposium on neonatal and child health: world scenario.

At the oncology session, speakers discussed the challenges of paediatric oncology.

Experts on paediatric radiology highlighted the importance of sub-speciality of radiology in child health care and stressed the need for developing trained manpower in this area.

Speaking at a plenary session Professor Yap Hue Kim spoke on the management of chronic kidney diseases and said the disease could be managed by early detection of congenital kidney disease and their treatment.

Prof Zulkilfi from Malaysia talked on combined vaccines and maintained that such combined vaccines for children would decrease patients’ visits to clinics. Prof Al Lamki from Muscat and Oman said positron emission tomography was the ideal imaging study in paediatric disease like malignancies, neurologic disease like brain tumor, migraine and epilepsy.

At a seminar on “water borne diseases, speakers expressed concern at the existing water and sanitation situation in the country and urged huge allocation of funds and foolproof management for safe drinking water and proper sanitation projects.

Professor D S Akram said about half a million cases of malaria occurred every year in the country. Sindh and Baluchistan were most affected provinces, he added.

Dr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutta, Chairman Paediatric Department Aga Khan University said typhoid was prevalent in the country and occurring mostly in the younger generation.

In a special presentation on polio; progress and constraints, Dr M Azmoudeh of WHO was optimistic that Pakistan could get out of the list of countries where polio cases were reported, provided it further increased its routine immunisation coverage and improved hygiene condition.

He suggested measures to improve surveillance, monitoring and the immunisation system. He also observed that the information received some times was not close to ground reality.