GENEVA: A record 8.2 million new tuberculosis cases were diagnosed worldwide last year, the World Health Organisation said — the highest number since it began global TB monitoring in 1995. The WHO said its Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, released on Tuesday, highlights “mixed progress in the global fight against TB, with persistent challenges such as significant underfunding”. While the number of TB-related deaths declined from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25m last year, the
Child Rights in Focus
Lahore schools considering schedule changes to prioritise the health of children Lahore: A three-day school closure and potential schedule adjustments in Lahore is being considered as the city grapples with deteriorating air quality, local officials announced. Amid severe smog conditions, schools could close on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays to reduce health risks, pending a review by the environmental authorities, Express News reported. The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson said a decision is expected following
ISLAMABAD: Polio crippled another child in the Chagai district of Balochistan, where a 5-year-old girl was paralyzed by the wild poliovirus, bringing the national polio case count to 43 this year. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the case on 30 October 2024, highlighting the ongoing challenge Pakistan faces in its fight against polio. This case marks Chagai’s first polio diagnosis this year and brings Balochistan’s
HARIPUR: A minor girl was found in unconscious condition in bushes outside her village, the police said here on 29th October. Saddar Police quoted Tanzeela Bibi, a resident of Banda Munir Khan village, as saying that her two and half years old daughter, Zonisha was playing in the street in the morning when she went missing. The complainant said that she searched for her but failed. However, in the afternoon the villagers spotted her
PAKISTAN is in the midst of a critical education crisis, with over 22.8 million children aged five to 16 years out of school, placing it second only to Nigeria in this context. The situation is especially dire for girls, with 53 percent out of school as compared to 43pc of boys. Declaring a national education emergency, Pakistan identifies poverty, lack of infrastructure, cultural barriers, child labour, and early marriages as core obstacles. Innovative solutions
ISLAMABAD/ KALAYA/MIRANSHAH/ KOHAT/LAHORE: Polio has crippled yet another child in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a 30-month-old girl has become the 42nd victim of the virus this year in Pakistan, officials confirmed on 29-October-2024. The diagnosis, verified by Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, highlights the continuing threat of polio across the country. This case, the first reported from Nowshera in 2024, adds to Pakistan’s mounting total, which includes
Pakistan faces a polio crisis with 40 cases this year, highlighting an urgent need for revamped eradication strategies. On the International Day for Polio, Pakistan got an unfortunate distinction. We identified another polio case, totaling 40 so far this year. Despite successive governments declaring Polio as a high priority and a national emergency, we are completely failing in polio eradication, even though we were so close a few times. Not only do we have
PESHAWAR: The health department is starting a four-day deworming programme for children aged 5 to 14 in 22 high-risk districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from November 4 to 8. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Pakistan Deworming Initiative (PDI) jointly hosted a media symposium here on Monday, focusing on the crucial role media played in controlling worm infections in children. This event brought together representatives from health, education, administration, local government and rural
KARACHI: Cyberbullying is increasingly turning into a societal menace, and the phenomenon drove a teen to suicide in the city. Police have arrested three youths on the charge of torturing a teenage boy and making the video viral on social media. The victim’s father said the shame of the incident drove his son to take his own life. Abdul Rafi, a student of grade IX, committed suicide by putting a noose around his neck
NAROWAL: Police on 28th October registered a case against 16 suspects for allegedly abducting a 14-year-old rape victim when she was on her way home after recording her statement in a sessions court. Complainant ‘K of Mandiala village, Shakargarh tehsil, told the police that her niece ‘A’ had gone to collect firewood from an outhouse. Usman Anwar, a local resident, forcibly took her to the fields and allegedly raped her. Shah Gharib police had
QUETTA: The Balochistan government has sacked 65 ‘habitual absentee schoolteachers’ from service with immediate effect. Officials of the directorate of education of Balochistan said on Monday the termination orders of services of the schoolteachers were given by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. They said the chief minister had taken serious notice of the existing ghost schools, absent teachers and other employees and non-functional schools in the province and ordered strict action against such teachers and
ISLAMABAD: In a significant development aimed at enhancing digital educational opportunities for marginalized girls, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in collaboration with Unesco Pakistan has announced the deployment of advanced IT equipment in 80 government girls’ schools across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The decision was finalized in a meeting chaired by the secretary Federal Education and attended by a Unesco team and senior officials. The secretary expressed