People belonging to different walks of life participated in an event held here to create awareness among people about a debilitating skin disease called urticaria. The disease is also known as nettle-rash/hives in which red spots appear on skin and causes itching, making the person afflicted with it to scratch. The disease is caused by an allergic reaction to certain foods.
Sindh health secretary Dr Zulfiqar Shalwani was the chief guest at the event organized in collaboration with Novartis Pharma Pakistan. Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's senior medical director Dr Salma Kausar, the Country President of Novartis, Shahab Rizvi, prominent dermatologists, showbiz people, celebrities and representatives of different social organisations and media houses were also present on the occasion.
Organisers of the awareness campaign said that the event was aimed at improving quality of life of those afflicted with the urticaria through live performances and discussion.
According to a press release, the live performances, beautifully choreographed to highlight the effects of urticaria has on social and professional lives of the victims, entailed a piece by Joshinder Chabbria, a real doctor-patient interaction, and a theatrical ramp show led by famous model Nadia Hussain.
Participants of the event were told that each segment elaborated various aspects of a typical urticaria patient's ordeal. Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) is a severe form of skin allergy prevalent in Pakistan, which may affect anyone at any time. Prominent dermatologists who spoke on the occasion included Dr Shahid Abbas, Dr Azer Rashid, Dr Iqbal Tareen, Dr Pervez Iqbal, Dr Badar Dhannani, Dr J. I. Bhatti, Dr Afzal Lodhi, Dr Hatim Ali Shah, Dr Faisal Khilji, Dr Sharf Ali Shah, Dr Atif Kazmi, Dr Saeed Haneef, Dr Azeem Jahangeer, Dr Haseeb Sajjad, Dr Ijaz, Dr Uzair Qureshi, Dr Tariq Zaman, Dr GM Cheema, Dr Najia Ashraf. The first-ever patient group - The 'U within Association', also attended the event with innovative activities to promote public awareness about urticaria.
The even concluded with a great song dedicated to the urticaria patients by famous music icon Natasha Baig and Pakistan idol runner-up Sajid Khan.-PR