Shamsul-Amin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: The residents belonging to Shinwari tribe in Landikotal expressed concern over measures taken by the government for handling Congo Virus cases and demanded immediate vital steps and screening services for Pirokhel area.
Fakhruddin Shinwari, Ajmal Jan, Rahmatullah, Shahid, Salih Mohammad and Haris of the Shinwari tribe visited the Landikotal Press club on Tuesday.
Expressing their concerns over steps taken by health staff to overcome on spreading of the Congo virus in the Pirokhel area of Landikotal They accused that due to the ignorance of livestock and health departments two young persons lost their lives in the last week.
The government must have taken precautionary measures against Congo Virus on a local basis before Eidul-ul-Adha and people should be made aware of the risk of the Congo virus, Fakhruddin said.
He further said neither the livestock nor health department had offered their duties on time due to that the curse had interred in Landikotal
He said that the health department team visited the victims’ families and collected their blood samples while completely ignoring their neighbors which were also higher at the risk of Congo virus.
“Amid emerging these two cases, the government has closed two schools and local markets in Pirokhel and Mukhtar Khel area which were next to the site where the first case emerged. But the next day both the schools and the market were observed open again without informing the general masses regarding the results of the blood samples.” Fakhruddin stated.
Due to the fear of being infected with the fatal virus, people cannot move freely in the area so far, he maintained.
According to the medical superintendent of Landikotal headquarter hospital, Dr. Khalid Javed 187 blood sample of people from both villages had been examined and no microbes were seen in the blood so far. He said the mosquito fogging was also conducted in that specific area.
The residents appealed to the government and Federal minister Dr. Noorul Haq Qadri, who also belongs to the Pirokhel area of taking immediate steps and to provide screening services to the other villages of the area as well as to deter the spreading of the virus in Landikotal.
