A few decades ago, the prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium infection in the human inhabitants of the Gizan region of Saudi Arabia was very high (43%-91%). A vertical programme for the control of the disease, by case finding, treatment of infected individuals and by chemical snail control, was begun in 1974 and led to significant reductions in prevalence in most areas. In 1989 the control activities were gradually integrated into the primary-health-care (PHC) system. Several schools in the area recently participated in the detection of ova (among schoolchildren and neighbouring communities) and organized health-education sessions. The records taken during the vertical and PHC programmes indicate that there were more diagnoses and higher chemotherapy coverage in the latter. The PHC programme has maintained the overall prevalence of infection at an extremely low level (< 1%) and the infection has been completely eradicated in several areas. The participation of schools proved to be particularly useful in terms of population coverage and health education.

Background: Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness because of the rapid emergence of resistant bacteria. Unnecessary antimicrobial use increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There are currently no published data on antibiotic consumption in Pakistan at the community level. This is a concern given high levels of self-purchasing of antibiotics in Pakistan and variable knowledge regarding antibiotics and AMR among physicians and pharmacists. Objective: The objective of this repeated prevalence survey was to assess the pattern of antibiotic consumption data among different community pharmacies to provide a baseline for developing future pertinent initiatives. Methods: A multicenter repeated prevalence survey conducted among community pharmacies in Lahore, a metropolitan city with a population of approximately 10 million people, from October to December 2017 using the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology for a global program on surveillance of antimicrobial consumption. Results: The total number of defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed per patient ranged from 0.1 to 50.0. In most cases, two DDDs per patient were dispensed from pharmacies. Co-amoxiclav was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic with a total number of DDDs at 1018.15. Co-amoxiclav was followed by ciprofloxacin with a total number of 486.6 DDDs and azithromycin with a total number of 472.66 DDDs. The least consumed antibiotics were cefadroxil, cefotaxime, amikacin, and ofloxacin, with overall consumption highest in December. Conclusion: The study indicated high antibiotic usage among community pharmacies in Lahore, Pakistan particularly broad-spectrum antibiotics, which were mostly dispensed inappropriately. The National action plan of Pakistan on AMR should be implemented by policymakers including restrictions on the dispensing of antimicrobials.

Pakistan, which is positioned in the South Asian sub-continent, occupies a significant climatological location. It is included among the world's few countries which experience a comprehensive transformation from summer all the way to winter season. The variation in precipitation has direct and significant consequences on society. In this ongoing research, the latitudinal variation in the track of the frontal system and trends in Pakistan during the monsoon period have been examined. Meteorological data (monthly rainfall, maximum temperature, satellite images, upstream data for Tarbela, Mangla, Rasool, and Marala) has been taken to conduct the ongoing research. Consequently, the focus of the study is the frontal weather system that moves North of Pakistan and energizes the monsoon rainfall over the Indus Basin which makes it a source of flooding. The rainfall is the cause of flooding downstream of rivers in the plains of Punjab and Sindh. Varying trends in rainfall were observed across the selected stations in Pakistan. The ongoing research is conducted across Pakistan with Gilgit and Skardu being the cities in Northern Pakistan. Among all the water reservoirs, Tarbela exhibited an increased upstream flow due to the snow melt factor over glaciers in Gilgit and Skardu because of an increase in maximum temperature.