Typhoid Surveillance Fully Functional At BHV: Secretary P&SHD

Secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare South Punjab Mahar Muhammad Hayat Luck said on Monday that the Typhoid fever surveillance sentinel site at Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BHV) Bahawalpur has become fully functional

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th May, 2023 ) :Secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare South Punjab Mahar Muhammad Hayat Luck said on Monday that the Typhoid fever surveillance sentinel site at Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BHV) Bahawalpur has become fully functional.

The secretary said that two new sentinel sites have recently been notified by the Specialized Healthcare and Medical education Department, Sheikh Zayed Hospital Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur, both now fully functional.

He said, "Before the addition of these two sites, five sentinel surveillance hospitals were already working at Children Hospital Lahore, Services Hospital Lahore, Allied Hospital Faisalabad, Nishtar Hospital Multan and Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi.

Now Punjab will be able to collect and analyze data from Southern districts bordering Sindh and Balochistan in making a true assessment of typhoid disease burden." He said the site has been established by the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Punjab in close collaboration with the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education with the technical and financial support of the World Health Organization.

WHO's technical team led by Technical Officer Dr. Imran Qureshi conducted formal capacity-building sessions of the technical staff on the latest surveillance SOPs at Quaid-e Azam Medical College (QMC) Bahawalpur.

Medical Superintendent Bahawal Victoria Hospital Dr.

Amir Mahmood Bukhari, CEO Health Dr. Faiza, DHO-PS Dr. Khalid Mehmood Arain, WHO Divisional EPI Officer Dr. Mufakker Mian, Associate Professor Dr. Riaz Ahmed, Senior Registrar Dr. Fahad Qaiser, experts from Community Medicine and Pathology departments, medial and lab technologists and staff from concerned areas participated.

CEO Bahawalpur Dr. Faiza said that due to frequent and careless use of antibiotics, typhoid microbes are becoming increasingly resistant to drugs. She said that besides strengthening the surveillance system, there is a need to enhance awareness of Wash and hygiene, improve food and drinking water quality and enhance vaccination.

Based on recommendations of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, Punjab conducted a full-fledged vaccination campaign and introduced typhoid conjugate vaccine in its EPI routine immunization schedule for children back in 2021.

Technical Officer WHO Dr. Imran Qureshi conducted training sessions on case identification, reporting, investigation, sample collection, testing (Blood Culture and Sensitivity) on the latest BACTAC automation technology, data recording and reporting, vaccination and Case Response.

He said enhanced surveillance will not only help to make a realistic assessment of disease burden but will also help assess the impact of typhoid vaccine rollout, said a news release issued here.