DADU, Jan 9: The Dadu Civil Hospital and the Mehar Taluka Hospital received on Sunday about 300 cases of the skin disease cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Dadu Taluka Nazim Zafar Ali Shah demanded that the Sindh government should take effective measures to eliminate the vector sand-fly in the semi-desert area of Kachho.

Civil surgeon Dr Javed Dawach said a special cell was established in the civil hospital where an adequate quantity of medicines was available. Besides, the district health department had sent several medical teams to affected areas.

He said about 200 cases were reported in Dadu and 100 in Mehar. He called upon the WHO, Unicef and other donor agencies to come forward and cooperate with the health department.

He said the only solution to eliminate the disease was to carry out anti-sand fly spray in the Kachho belt. Dr Dawach claimed that the disease was spreading through dogs, cats and donkeys of the nomadic people from Kachho, Kohistan and Khirthar who keep moving in search of food and water.

The medical superintendent of the Mehar taluka hospital, Dr Sadiq Landhar, said the hospital received cases from Faridabad, Ali Bux Teewano, Chhuto Mirwani, Wali Mohammad Rind and other villages.

He said three teams along with medicines had been sent to the affected villages of the taluka. Some of the patients at the hospital said the disease had spread in their villages for the last one month but medicines were not available.

DO health Dr Rasheed Memon said about 100 nets would be distributed in affected villages of Dadu and Johi talukas. He advised the people not to sleep on the ground because vector sand fly can jump three feet high and people sleeping on the ground become its easy victim. He said medical camps had been setup in Wahi Pandhi, Fateh Mohammad Brohi, Tore, Chhinni, Hero Khan and 10 other health centres.