By: Bari Baloch
March 06, 2010
QUETTA – A special team of Balochistan Health Department has admitted that no successful treatment was given in the past to the children, suffering from a fatal skin disease in Bolan and Kachchi.
Many children have died and over a dozen others have been affected by the mysterious skin disease in different parts of Dhadar area of Bolan.
People of the area told media teams that disease infliction was brought to the notice of authorities concerned in 1993 but no serious step had so far been taken for its prevention or treatment.
Nasir Ali Baloch, head of an NGO, stated that due to negligence of Health Department, hundreds of children had lost their lives. ‘Over a dozen children are still suffering from the disease and condition of five of them is serious’, he added.
Following news reports about the disease, Chief Minister Balochistan has taken notice of miseries of people, and medical teams were dispatched to the area to prepare a report.
There are different reports about the mysterious disease, however, according to local people the disease continued to grip the area for the last 40 years, and so far it had claimed hundreds of children’s lives.
According to skin specialists, it is a hereditary disease and the people of the area have been advised to avoid marriages with their close relatives.
On the other hand, people in the area do not agree with the notion of doctors. They accuse authorities concerned of not paying serious attention towards this disease.
Manzoor Baloch, who lost two of his children told the media persons that when he had tried to spotlight the disease to the officials, instead of showing and sympathy or taking action,they asked him not to highlight it as it would bring a bad name to them.
Two teams of Health Department visited the area on the directives of Chief Minister of Balochistan. Lundi Khosa comprises three to four villages, having a population of 8,000 people.
It has been admitted in the report, compiled by the team headed by Doctor Essa Khan Jogezai that in the past no successful treatment was given to the children suffering from the skin disease.
According to the report at, present seven children ranging between 2 to 8 years of age were suffering from this disease.
Disease has been diagnosed as Xeroderma Pigmentosum which is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of DNA in which the damage is caused by ultraviolet light.
Reports say that unfortunately the treatment of the victims was grim and fewer than 40 per cent of individuals with this disease survive beyond age of 20 years.
The most obvious and important part of treatment was avoiding exposure to the sunlight.
A request has been made in the report for provision of sun blocking agents and other required medicines which, however, are not available in the provincial capital for the treatment of the affected children.
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