ISLAMABAD: Health authorities in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province on Saturday announced a significant spread of conjunctivitis or pink eye infection, with 10,269 cases documented in the past 24 hours alone, the state-owned Radio Pakistan reported.
Punjab is currently grappling with a significant rise in these cases, with a total of 394,795 people reported to have contracted the disease across all 36 districts, according to the provincial health department.
The Punjab education department already took proactive measures earlier this week by announcing a four-day school closure to stem the spread of the infection.
“The primary and secondary health department of Punjab reported a severe outbreak of pink eye infection with a staggering 10,269 new cases in the past 24 hours,” the Radio Pakistan said.
The health department said that while conjunctivitis usually goes away on its own within eight to 10 days, people should practice proper eye hygiene to minimize the risk of infection.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s interim health minister, Nadeem Jan, also issued a public warning, urging vigilance against the spread of viral infections.
According to the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency, Jan assured the public the government was actively implementing effective measures to control disease outbreaks in the country, adding that a committee of experts had been assembled to comprehensively address the matter.
Jan highlighted that government-run hospitals were operating on high alert to manage both pink eye cases and vector-borne diseases like the dengue virus. He said the eye infection was spreading fast in Punjab with hundreds of patients thronging hospitals daily due to the viral infection.
“The scourge of dengue virus and eye infection will be controlled through collective efforts and coordinated strategy and though it is a difficult task but still achievable,” the report quoted him as saying.
Pakistan’s Punjab province reports over 10,000 conjunctivitis cases in a day — health authorities
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Pakistan’s Punjab province reports over 10,000 conjunctivitis cases in a day — health authorities
- The provincial health department says 394,795 cases of the eye infection have so far been reported in all 36 districts of Punjab
- Interim health minister assures the public the government is making active efforts to control infectious diseases in Pakistan
Pakistan says PM Sharif has received invitation to join Gaza peace board
- Board is set to supervise temporary governance of Gaza
- Gaza has been under a shaky ceasefire since October
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the so-called “Board of Peace” for Gaza.
The White House on Friday announced some members of this board, which would outlive its role supervising the temporary governance of Gaza, under a fragile ceasefire since October.
The names include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Trump is the chair of the board, according to a plan the White House unveiled in October.
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas signed off on Trump’s plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic administration will be overseen by an international board, which will supervise Gaza’s governance for a transitional period.
“The Prime Minister of Pakistan has received the invitation from the President of the United States to join the Board of Peace on Gaza,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Pakistan will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions.”
Many rights experts and advocates have said Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembles a colonial structure, while Blair’s involvement was criticized last year due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the board. The names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members will be announced over the coming weeks.
It also named a separate, 11-member “Gaza Executive Board” to support the technocratic body, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, UN Middle East peace coordinator Sigrid Kaag, United Arab Emirates International Cooperation Minister Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said the composition of this board had not been coordinated with Israel and contradicted its policy — possibly a reference to Fidan’s presence, as Israel objects to Turkish involvement.
With inputs from Reuters
