World Malaria Day Speakers urge use of mosquito nets to prevent disease

LAKKI MARWAT, April 25: Speakers at a seminar held in connection with the World Malaria Day on Monday said malaria caused more deaths after tuberculosis in the world, and urged the people to adopt precautionary measures to protect themselves from the disease. The district health department and ACD (Association for Community Development) had jointly arranged the seminar at district headquarters hospital. Deputy district officer health, Dr Abdul Rehman, MS Dr Mohammad Ishaq, ACD's representative Zahoor Jan and others spoke on the occasion. They said the dangerousness of the disease could be judged from the fact that it killed a child every after 30 second in the world. "As part of measures to control malaria the government, health organisations and other stakeholders set up diagnostic centres and imparted case management training to the doctors and health workers to enhance their capacity to diagnose and treat malaria effectively," the speakers maintained. They said the ACD has been providing the residents especially pregnant women and children up to five years of age with long-lasting insecticides nets for the last couple of years. "The use of bed nets can save us from mosquito bite," they said. The speakers said rapid diagnostic kits had been provided to the health facilities so as to help the health staffers and even laymen to diagnose the disease easily. Later, an awareness walk was arranged on the premises of DHQ hospital participated by doctors, paramedics and people from different walks of life. Participants carried banners inscribed with messages in connection with the World Malaria Day. Meanwhile, the ACD in collaboration with the health and elementary and secondary education departments also held a function in government higher secondary school Tajazai to mark the Day. The ACD representative Zahoor Jan, principal Khalid Wahab, microscope expert Haji Abdul Razzaq and focal person Abdul Aziz called upon the students to educate their parents and residents of their respective localities to use bed nets for keeping themselves safe from mosquito borne diseases especially malaria.