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Objectives: To determine the seropositivity of typhoid fever in febrile pediatric patients presenting to tertiary care center. Methods: This observational study was conducted at Children Hospital Quetta (CHQ) from July 2011 to March 2012. The children with three or more days fever, no obvious focus of infection and clinically suspected of typhoid fever were screened. Sterile Blood samples were obtained from febrile patients and Widal and Typhidot® tests were performed for the diagnosis of Typhoid fever in the suspected populations. Results: Total of 2964 clinically suspected patients were screened for typhoid fever. Of these, 550 (18.6%) patients were positive serologically. The higher prevalence of the disease in hot summer season and increasing pattern of the disease was observed in summer days. The disease was higher in school age children under 5-10 years. Although non-significant association was observed on sex basis. Conclusion: The findings highlight the considerable burden of typhoid fever in pre-school and schoolaged children. The variation in the disease pattern has also been observed under seasonal variation and different age groups, all of which need to be considered in deliberations to control the typhoid fever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is an acute disease of small ruminants which causes low productivity as well as great economic losses in many countries including Pakistan. There has been pressing need to control this disease through vaccination in Pakistan. The aim of this discussion is to convey the production of an efficacious vaccine against PPR disease in Pakistan. Tissue culture based live freeze-dried PPR virus (PPR 75-1) vaccine was produced using Vero cell line at the Center for Advance Studies in Vaccinology and Biotechnology (CASVAB), University of Balochistan, Quetta in 2007. The vaccine was checked for validation, safety,sterility and efficacy using the standard procedures set by Office International des Epizooties (OIE) terrestrial manual for vaccine production. In total 3.1 million doses have been produced from 2007 to 2010. The PPR vaccine of 0.0923 million doses have been given free of cost to Livestock and Dairy Development Department, Government of Balochistan, Pakistan for immuno-prophylaxis against PPR disease in goats in various districts of Balochistan. Moreover approximately 3 million doses were also distributed commercially to different organizations nationwide. . It is anticipated that the PPR vaccine prepared at CASVAB would be an effective tool to limit PPR disease in goats as well as to reduce economic losses due to this disease in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]