LARKANA, Jan 28: The Sindh government has constituted a task force to control the outbreak of skin disease leishmaniasis. Dr Farooq Soomro, the head of the leprosy unit of the Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, was nominated as the focal person for the district.

Dr Soomro told this correspondent on Tuesday that at a meeting held in Karachi, which was presided over by the secretary for health, it was decided to form the task force to evolve a strategy to control the outbreak the leishmaniasis in Sindh, particularly in Larkana and Dadu districts.

The task force comprised Dr Sharf Ali Shah, focal person for Sindh, Dr Soomro, public health DO Dr Qalandar Bakhsh, focal person for Dadu, Dr Abdul Manan Bhutto, head of the skin diseases department of the CMCH and Dr Ghulam Nabi Qazi of the World Health Organization.

Dr Soomro said the health secretary had asked the members to coordinate with the WHO representative in Islamabad for early supply of medicines. Some 100 general practitioners would be trained by holding seminars and sent to affected areas, he further said. He said monitoring committees would also be formed in districts. As many as 37 villages have been affected by the disease in Larkana.