A team of skin specialists visited Balakot and Muzaffarabad to collect data on the survivors of October 8 quake suffering from different skin-related diseases. A dermatologist and Association of Bangkok Alumni of Dermatology (Abad) Pakistan President Dr Jamil Ahmad Saberi said while talking to this scribe on Sunday.
The doctor, who has done specialisation in dermatology and sexually-transmitted diseases in 1993, said the information collected would be used in chalking out future programme for the quake-victims, who have developed skin diseases, adding the team had gone to Balakot and Muzaffarabad to help the October 8 quake survivors.
Dr Jamil said apart from providing medicines to the survivors of quake, who had turned to different hospitals for treatment, the Abad Pakistan had convinced the philanthropists of providing medicines to the tremor-hit people.
Five members of the association from Gujranwala went to the two major areas- Balakot and Muzaffarabad- and served the victims, said chief of the self-financed scientific-cum-welfare association.
Abad Pakistan was launched way back in 1996 in Pakistan and comprises of 57 doctors having done specialisation in dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases from Bangkok and Thailand.
Of reports of the spread of the skin diseases in the quake-hit zones, he said that 95 percent of such diseases were not fatal, but became serious in the areas hit by disasters like the October 8 quake.
"Such cases in the quake-hit areas can form a subject for research for us," said the doctor. He said the skin diseases could be classified into three categories. The first sort is of those diseases caused by fungal, viral and bacterial infections.
"These are of acute nature, but can be cured by taking certain measures and undergoing a brief treatment. It includes insect bites after which people develop an itch- a tickling sensation in the skin. Hygienic conditions and a regular spray kill them. But when the situation is otherwise, as might be the case in the quake-hit areas, these may cause harm," he added.
"In the second group are the diseases caused by seasonal impacts or different factors in the environment. They lack acuteness, but take a long time to go as the treatment is a lengthy and complicated one."
The examples of this type are Eczemas and swelling of hands and feet that later leads to scabies and narrowing down of the blood vessels. These are feared generally in the cold weather.
The Psoriasis and hereditary diseases fall in the third classification of the skin diseases. "If survivors of the devastating quake, who have had a history of these diseases in the past, it is feared that these may become more complicated now," he added.
Talking of the remedy, he said there were general measures that needed to be taken for fighting the skin diseases. "First, the quake-hit area should be disinfected by a quick spray. Both blow and aerosol spray options are there, keeping in view the local situation. It will kill the insects on the one hand and clear the air of the stench created due to decomposition of the bodies on the other," he went on to say.
The doctor said in the disaster zones, the skin diseases mostly became contagious. "The scabies might be there before the quake, but as the people were living in the scattered areas, there were least chances for contracting it. But now the people are living in the congested areas, exposing them to contract the disease," he believed.
Dr Jamil said scabies appeared in different stages. "First, there is an itch that later causes prickles with puss. The symptoms of scabies become more visible after three weeks. If a person having contacted scabies, those living beside him/her also need a treatment to save them from the disease," he pointed out.
The dermatologist suggested to the government to make medicines for treatment of the skin disease available in the tent villages, especially for those diagnosed with scabies. He said Ascabiol solution/lotion was easily available in the market and was the most affordable one.
"It can provide an instant relief from an itch. For children under 7 year of age, it is applied in the diluted form," he added, stressing that the medicines should be taken only when prescribed by doctor.
Dilating further, the doctor said: "If someone develops an itch, he/she should take a bath and apply the Ascabiol solution through a sponge on the entire body, excluding the neck and the area above it."
"It should be applied for the second time the next night, but without having a bath".
He emphasised on sterilisation of the possessions of the person suffering from itch problem. "As precautionary measures, the possessions of such a person should be exposed to sunlight at least for 72 hours as a constant exposure to ultraviolet rays killed the germs. Apart from that, the washable things should be washed in the hot water.
This will make other people safe from the disease. A complete relief is achieved in 6 to 10 weeks.
When asked about the medicines, Dr Jamil said these should not be taken without consulting a doctor. "Avil, Preton and Incidal were generally prescribed," he said, hastening to add that these medicines alone would not solve the problem.
He called for keeping the skin moisturised and reducing the use of soup to avoid itch problem. He pointed out that the viral infections spread when the people lived close to each other.
Asked what methodology was used to diagnose scabies, he said there was sufficient clinical knowledge with a dermatologist for such a diagnosis. The itch problem has a history. But in the scabies, a patient says that he/she faces an itch problem when in blanket or quilt at night. Second, he or she also gives the contract history, saying his/her family member(s) is/are also facing this problem. It gives us a positive clue to scabies, added the doctor.
Dr Jamil said that mostly the scabies-hit adult patients had prickles at elbow joints, under armpits, around navel, in nails, at sex organs, and on breasts in case of women. These are common signs. In kids, he added, even feet, face and head is also affected, he said.
When questioned what needed to be done for the quake-hit people, who were suffering from skin diseases, he suggested that the government to visit the affected-areas twice a month to examine and treat the patients should constitute a team of dermatologists.
"This team should brief other doctors and paramedics already offering services in such areas on the common skin diseases so that they could better treat such patients," he proposed.
The dermatologist also called for training the civil society activists or local CBOs workers busy in relief work in the quake-hit zones.
They should be imparted requisite information so that they disseminate the same to others. The relevant information should be written on the flip charts in simple language and displayed at main points to educate the people. People other than those related to medical field must be involved in the entire process to achieve the desired results, he said.
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