ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: No case of anthrax has tested positive in Pakistan, says Federal Minister for Health Abdul Malik Kasi.

Speaking at a news conference here on Monday, Mr Kasi said the National Institute of Health (NIH) had tested about 100 samples and found not even a single “positive” case.

The minister said the interior and health ministries had set up special cells to trace the source of the letters containing suspected anthrax spores. “Those who are sending letters filled with powder should behave as they are making dirty jokes,” he warned. “We have also asked the provincial governments to take anthrax incidents seriously”, he added.

Mr Kasi said Pakistan was not ashamed of disclosing any positive anthrax case, if reported, like it did in the case of “Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF)” in Balochistan”.

When his attention was drawn towards the results of Agha Khan Hospital, which had confirmed two positive cases, the minister said: “I respect the Agha Khan Hospital which is a very prestigious institution, but despite its report, not a single person has been found to be suffering with anthrax.” However, he conceded Agha Khan Hospital had violated the protocol by not sending the samples to the NIH. The minister asked the Agha Khan Hospital administration to send the samples to the NIH for further tests.

Mr Kasi said he had asked the local pharmaceuticals as well as the multinationals to keep six months’ stocks of medicines, including “Ciproflaxacin” and six months stocks of raw materials for their production. He said it cost Rs10,000 per sample to conduct anthrax test and three to four days were required for this purpose.

The minister said Pakistan’s health facilities were open for all Afghan refugees.

The executive director, NIH, Athar Saeed Dil, and country managers of tuberculosis, malaria and extended programme of immunization (EPI) were also present on the occasion. They briefed the newsmen on contingency plans prepared to check and contain these diseases especially in view of the mass exodus of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

They said Pakistan had successfully completed another round of polio, measles and tetanus vaccinations especially among the refugees. The health delivery systems in 14 districts adjacent to different refugee camps were also being strengthened to check TB, they added.