PESHAWAR: The infants and newly born babies in Peshawar and its suburban areas were bearing the brunt of various diseases as according to Dr Sartaj Ahmad, Medical Superintendent Sifwat Ghayur Children Hospital here, 18000 ailing children were brought to the hospital during the period of one month.

Of these children, he said 800 were admitted and provided needed medical cover at the hospital. He said most of the children were affected with measles, tetanus, hepatitis, pneumonia and chest infections.

The MS Children Hospital said 114 children were found affected with measles while there were also a lot of children patients having diphtheria and high fever. However he said the hospital staff has been divided into three shifts to provide best possible medical cover to these ailing children. Free of charge medicines were also being provided at the hospital, he said.

Dr Sartaj said earlier diarrhoea, measles and cholera were being considered as seasonal but now these diseases attack children at any time of the year adding by maintaining clean environment and food management we could avert these diseases to a great extent.

He said completion of immunization courses was also necessary to cope with the spread of these diseases and medical tests of the children that were conducted free of charge at the hospital were also necessary as pre-emptive measures.