Symposium focuses on creating mass awareness about viruses

KARACHI:With the population burst and climate change, the world is facing serious challenges of viral epidemics. Only knowledge-based progress can lead us out of these challenges. These views were expressed by Dow University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Saeed Quraishy on Wednesday.

He was addressing the symposium on Mpox: evolution and clinical manifestation, jointly organized by the Department of Microbiology of the University of Karachi and the Association of Microbial Sciences at the KU’s Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium. The DUHS VC Professor Dr Saeed Quraishy stressed to students to create mass awareness and to take maximum benefit of this symposium. He mentioned that mass awareness can help us resolve such large challenges faced by the health sector. He informed the audience that the very first case of Mpox was reported some 50 years ago, however, the recent surge in the cases indicates a threat to the emergence of new viral diseases.

Another speaker, the Principal of the Dow College of Biotechnology Professor Dr Mushtaq Hussain explained the evolution of viruses in general and Mpox virus in particular. He said that the high mutation rate coupled with the high mortality rate of Mpox virus highlighted the possible serious threats. He reminded the recent cases of the lumpy pox virus were also due to the mutation in the pox virus which is a relevant virus to the Mpox virus. He mentioned that the updated viral genome database presents the evolution of clade I virus which is more virulent and prone to mutations.

A speaker consultant on infectious diseases at the DUHS Dr Muniba Ahsan provided details about Mpox viral transmission and pathogenesis. She mentioned the presence of clade II virus in the cases of Mpox reported from Pakistan which is a sigh of relief as this virus of this type has less mutation ability, virulence, and death rate. “There shouldn’t be any havoc or rumours in this regard. Since Mpox is only transmitted from humans, either through contact or fomites, therefore, the patients of skin diseases should be diagnosed based on their past exposure.” An expert in diagnostics at Aga Khan University Dr Najia Ghanchi mentioned the importance of diagnosis of Mpox patients. She said that molecular techniques of diagnosis help to provide information about the type of the virus that is crucially required for surveillance of clade I and II of the Mpox virus. Dr Najia informed the audience that the Mpox virus is included in the risk group 4 of the pathogens that cause highly contagious diseases.