- SWABI, Pakistan - The smallpox
epidemic is rapidly spreading in these parts of the province, but the district
health department has failed to take any step to contain this deadly disease,
Dawn learnt here on Saturday.
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- It has been reported from different parts of the Swabi
district that a large number of children have suffered from smallpox, but
the authorities concerned have failed to take any action to prevent this
disease or immunize the people against it.
-
- Smallpox is a fatal disease which causes high fever,
leaves permanent marks on the skin and spreads very fast. Timely treatment
and precautionary measures are vital for controlling this malady.
-
- A health official said that the dilemma of the people
was that they were not aware of the danger aspects of this ailment as the
children suffering from it have neither been kept in isolation nor properly
treated. And this resulted in the spread of the virus.
-
- In most of the cases, the children of a family or those
living close to each other, contract it at one and the same time.
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- The residents of Naro Banda, a rural area in the district,
told this correspondent that a majority of the children in the village
had suffered from smallpox a few years back. "My two brothers, Shams
and Akhtar, have been afflicted by smallpox and I have appealed to the
officials concerned, but they did not bother either to visit the area or
take steps for controlling it," said Mukhtaj Ahmad of Naro Banda.
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- The mother of a sick child said she had informed the
lady health workers about the spread of the disease four days ago, but
no action was taken.
-
- It was also noticed that most of the parents of the sick
children were uneducated. They had either approached the quack living nearby,
or the self-made homeopath doctors to treat the children, but no visible
improvement could be seen in the health of the children.
-
- If the district health department delayed taking steps
for containing the disease, the epidemic may spread to other areas in the
vicinity, or the whole of the district, for that matter.
-
- The suffering people have appealed to the NWFP governor,
district government bosses and health officials to send in special teams
to extend necessary health cover to the children.
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-
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- Comment
-
- From Patricia Doyle, PhD
dr_p_doyle@hotmail.com
6-10-2
-
- Hello, Jeff -
-
- The recent news of smallpox epidemic in Pakistan now
presents the theory I am about to propose.
-
- I suspect that USAMRIID did check out the report that
I sent them last year, April 2001. Furthermore, they put into exercise
Dark Winter and found that the US was unequipped to handle smallpox.
-
- So, in true tradition of the Govt. rather then trust
the American Public or the world, for that matter, with the news that Smallpox
is again a problem, they decided to create awarness for bioterrorism and
found a way to cover the push of smallpox vaccine combined with sweeping
Public Health laws to deal with an outbreak when it leaves Pakistan and
hits the US.
-
- So, Rumsfeld, Alibek and CIA hatch the "harmless"
anthrax via the postal service to heighten bioterrorism awareness. One
problem, William Patrick's risk assessment did not take into consideration
the fact that the sorting machines would puncture envelopes and disseminate
anthrax, thus causing deaths.
-
- They thought that they could scare Congress and the media
harmlessly. Another part of the theory is that the plot was planned well
before 9/11. The plot had been planned in late Spring and early Summer.
It was probably finalized by late July early August.
-
- Now, it appears that the news of smallpox is going to
leak to the public, thanks to the effort of a very brave Pakistani journalist,
and via people like myself, yourself, etc.
-
- I wonder how long the government thought they would keep
the lid on the smallpox outbreaks?
-
- I find it very sad that the Govt. would not admit, back
in April 2001, that smallpox has resurfaced. We could have saved the lives
of those killed by the anthrax attacks.
-
- People who are armed with the truth, can handle just
about any sitution that comes along, yes, even Smallpox. The world lived
with it before and will again. Trust in humanity is sorely needed. About
time that the Govt trusts the public. These massive coverups only cause
more panic, and more senseless deaths.
-
- I will keep you posted and updated.
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- I hope that more datta and test results will be forthcoming,
THIS TIME AROUND.
-
- I did find it so odd that we have not heard about any
test results from the isolated village on the Indus. What do you bet the
pathogen was Ebolapox, an altered form of Smallpox?
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- Patty
-
-
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- Comment
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- From Name on file
6-12-2
-
- FYI - the two outbreak zones you have reported on your
website, one in Pakistan and the other in India - are 1,003 miles apart.
I was hoping they were border villages but the huge gap between them is
ominous if they prove to be smallpox. Here are their locations:
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- Swabi, PK 34:07'00N X 72:28'00"E
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- Barachatti, IN 24:31'00N X 85:01'00E
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