Infectious disease surveillance system in Pakistan: challenges and way forward

Abstract Infectious Disease Surveillance (IDS) in the community is essential to prevent, control, and detect outbreaks. A strong surveillance system is a need of time for low to middle-income countries like Pakistan where around half of the reported deaths are due to infections that can be easily pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tropical Medicine and Health
Main Authors: Taha Gul Shaikh, Summaiyya Waseem, Syed Hassan Ahmed, Sarya Swed, Mohammad Mehedi Hasan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: BMC 2022
Subjects:
Infectious disease
Surveillance
Nationwide approach
Pakistan
Public health
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-022-00439-y
https://doaj.org/article/ae33e3e52e00446fbe9e2bed9c8daded
Description
Summary:Abstract Infectious Disease Surveillance (IDS) in the community is essential to prevent, control, and detect outbreaks. A strong surveillance system is a need of time for low to middle-income countries like Pakistan where around half of the reported deaths are due to infections that can be easily prevented in the presence of a surveillance system. Although Pakistan has IDS which monitors and collects the data on several infectious diseases, the system is unreliable, inadequate, and substandard. As a result, dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis B and C, and many other infectious diseases are still prevalent in Pakistan and unfortunately, the numbers are still rising. In this commentary, we have tried to highlight the problems the country is facing to establish a proper and self-sustainable surveillance system and have recommended some steps the relevant stakeholders should consider taking to make healthcare better in Pakistan.

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