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Karachi, October 19, 2005. Aga Khan University (AKU)
sent its third team of medical help on October 19 to the disaster-stricken
areas. AKU's team will be working in collaboration with World Health
Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health in some of the worst-hit
areas where health services have been destroyed by the earthquake.
"After a disaster of this magnitude, the danger of epidemics
greatly increases," said Dr Gregory Pappas, Professor and Chair, Department
of Community Health Sciences, AKU. "Disease surveillance is critical at
this stage of the response. We need to identify and control disease outbreaks
so that they don't add to the misery," he added.
The 6-member AKU team, headed by Dr Zafar Fatmi, Assistant Professor
CHS, has gone to Islamabad and is undergoing a one-day training session by WHO,
after which they would be dispatched to different zones in the disaster areas
to collect data and control outbreaks of infectious diseases. The data collected
by this team will help in identifying the key medical risk factors and will
be instrumental in assisting the Government to coordinate the relief effort
and plan the rebuilding.
This is the third team of medical/nursing help sent by AKU as
part of the earthquake relief efforts. A specialised trauma team, consisting
of experts from surgery, anaesthesia, orthopaedics and medicine left for Islamabad
on October 11 along with medicines and surgical supplies of 1.5 tons to help
victims of the catastrophic earthquake. The second AKU team comprising of nurses
left for Islamabad on October 14 and is presently working at the Air force Medical
Hospital, Muzaffarad.
These efforts are a part of the overall Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN) relief assistance through its various affiliates and agencies,
which includes AKDN's donation of Rs. 30 million along with Habib Bank's donation
of Rs. 30 million to the President's Fund for Earthquake Relief. AKDN has also
provided much needed helicopters to Pakistan Army. FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance,
the international emergency relief agency, has mobilised medical and relief
goods to the northern regions. Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) has
also sent teams of medical professionals to be based in Muzafarabad.
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