Infectious disease surveillance system in Pakistan: challenges and way forward

• 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

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.