Sindh forms technical group to prevent outbreak of epidemics

KARACHI: Comprising national, international and private health sector experts, Sindh health department on Wednesday announced formation of a Technical Working Group on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) to respond to the HIV outbreak in Sindh and devise strategies to prevent any more such outbreaks in the province.

Ironically, neither any member or expert from the UNAIDS in Pakistan nor the National AIDS Control Programme were included in the Technical Working Group on Infection Prevention Control despite that they remained on the forefront in controlling HIV outbreak in Ratodero, Larkana, provided technical and material support to the Sindh health authorities and also streamlined international support for the Sindh AIDS Control Programme.

To be led-by Director General Health Services Sindh Dr. Masood Solangi as the Chairperson, the technical working group would have experts from Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Aga Khan University, Sindh AIDS Control Programme, local government and municipal corporations, health education directorate, Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority, Sindh Hepatitis Control Programme and a representative from Sindh Healthcare Commission. The World Health Organization’s EMRO Region expert on IPC Dr. Maha Talat would also be part of the technical group while experts from Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, technical advisor of the PPHI, experts from the JSI/USAID and other international health bodies would also be the members of the group, said a notification issued, while an official of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme would be the secretary of the working group.

The Sindh health officials said the WHO and UNAIDS had advised the Sindh health department to form a technical group on Infection Prevention Control so outbreaks of epidemics like that of HIV in Ratodero, viral hepatitis ,extensively drug resistant typhoid and other infectious diseases could be prevented. The officials in the Sindh health department said the technical working group will provide technical assistance and support to the health department in reviewing and updating the Infection Prevention and Control strategies and help their establishing at the district and provincial levels. The group would also help the health department in capacity building of the staff on infection prevention control and conduct technical need assessment. The Infection Diseases experts said people of Sindh are sitting on bomb-shell of Infectious diseases which could explode at any moment if appropriate steps were not taken. Similarly, the non-communicable diseases and infectious diseases are a big threat to people in Sindh due to poor infection prevention and control practices.

“In addition to viral and bacterial infectious diseases, outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by the microorganisms resistant to all antibiotics is the biggest threat facing Pakistan, especially in Sindh where multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug resistant typhoid strains are already haunting people”, a WHO expert told The News.