islamabad - The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday issued Seasonal Awareness and Alert Letter (SAAL) for epidemic-prone infectious diseases in the country.
The alert has been issued as a pre-emptive measure against communicable diseases including Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Gastroenteritis, Malaria as well as the vaccine preventable diseases like measles, typhoid fever, viral hepatitis and poliomyelitis.
The alert has been issued for both federal and provinces.
This has been the 39th alert issued by the institute.
The main purpose of SAAL is to alert all health authorities and professionals and to facilitate for timely and efficient response to the outbreaks/ epidemics and thus reduce the associated morbidity and mortality.
This letter is the 2nd issue of the year 2017, in which the NIH informed that the emergence & outbreak potential of various communicable/infectious diseases has a direct relationship with weather/temperature change.
In the letter, NIH suggested that the federal, provincial and district health departments as well as other stakeholders need to take pre-emptive measures against communicable diseases put on “High Alert” including CCHF, Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Gastroenteritis, Malaria as well as the vaccine preventable diseases like Measles, Typhoid Fever, Viral Hepatitis and Poliomyelitis.
NIH also informed about the international public health events like Ebola Virus Disease, Zika Virus Disease. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERSCoV) and influenza-A (H7N9) Virus.
Through SAAL, NIH advised to keep a continuous watch on the anticipated seasonal public health threats and taking of all preventive or curative measures in this context.
