Link: Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin - Disease early warning system and response in Pakistan, Volume 4, Issue 18

Highlights

Epidemiological week no. 19 (5 to 11 May 2013)

• Measles: This week a total of 37 alerts investigated. 403 measles cases were reporting from 17 districts.
Vitamin‐A drops provided to all the suspects and district health teams took action to improve vaccination in affected areas.

• 64 districts and 1758 health facilities have reported to DEWS this week 19, compared with 66 districts with 1913 health facilities shared weekly data in week 18, 2013 to the Disease Early Warning System (DEWS).

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has extended additional financial support to UNDP in Pakistan for US$ 1.3 million bringing its total contribution to US$ 6.7 million for community infrastructure restoration and rehabilitation in the crisis affected areas of district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

LAHORE/DUBAI, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - Hamza Mazhar, a 35-year-old teacher from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, says he never wants to see the inside of a government hospital again.

“My mother was taken to the hospital with an upper respiratory tract infection in February this year and doctors said she needed care in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” he told IRIN.

Highlights

Epidemiological week no. 18 (28 Apr to 4 May 2013)

• Measles: This week a total of 91 alerts investigated. 425 measles cases were reporting from 23 dis‐ tricts. Vitamin‐A drops provided to all the suspects and district health teams took action to improve vac‐ cination in affected areas.

• 66 districts and 1913 health facili‐ ties have reported to DEWS this week 18, compared with 65 dis‐ tricts with 1962 health facilities shared weekly data in week 17, 2013 to the Disease Early Warning System(DEWS).

Highlights

• More than 600,000 polling officers are being trained throughout the country for election day.

• These officials will be placed in 70,000 polling stations across Pakistan.

• 600,000 tamper-evident bags were procured to deter fraud.

LAHORE, May 14: The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have commended efforts of the Punjab Health Department for providing anti-measles vaccine coverage to the 95 per cent of the target children in Lahore.

The seven-day campaign was launched in the provincial capital by the health department on April 30 which was later extended for another two days. The health teams were to reach 2.6 million target children for vaccination in the period.

With this Revised Emergency Appeal, the budget has been revised down from CHF 92.6 million to CHF 88.2 million, assisting 900,000 people (130,000 families) beneficiaries for 36 months, and will be completed by 31 July 2013. This revision is based on the actual expected outcomes at the end of the appeal period and in addition includes a relocation of CHF 1,650,377 in support of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) for its relief activities to assist communities affected by the floods in 2012. An unspent balance of CHF 4.4 million remains as a result of the revised budget and plans.

Monsoon 2012 updates :

• Rehabilitation work completed in 17 girls schools in Balochistan with ERF support .

• In Sindh, cluster members completed mainstreaming of 2,8972 (43% girls) children in government primary schools at Jacobabad, Kashmore and Shikarpur .

Education Cluster Response for displacement in KP/FATA :

• Allocation of CERF funds for Education cluster is 150,000 USD .
  These funds will be used to support educational needs of IDP children displaced from Tirah Valley, Khyber agency