Nations urged to be well equipped for tackling future pandemics

Islamabad:Speakers at an international workshop held here Monday urged the nations to be well equipped for tackling the future pandemics through capacity building and developing institutional infrastructure.

The workshop titled ‘Fundamental Techniques in Viral Diseases Diagnostics’ kicked off at Comstech. More than 300 virologists, scientists and students from around the OIC member states are participating in this workshop.

Thirteen national and international experts from Germany, China, Sweden and Pakistan will give lectures on different aspects of viral diseases during the next two days. The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Dr. Khalid Saeed Khan of University of Granada, Spain who emphasized the need of medical research and research-based decision making.

He mentioned that existing knowledge, and text books available could not help out in coping with COVID-19. It was only research which helped scientists to generate new knowledge to cope with this pandemic. He urged the public to take interest in the research process and get involved in it.

Speaking on the occasion, Comstech Coordinator General Professor Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary said that good governance, science and society connection, science culture, and science itself helped humanity to tackle the current pandemic.

He said it was the practice of open science that helped conducting genome sequence of the virus and exploring its entire biological characteristics within a few months of the outbreak. Dr. Choudhary advised the nations that we need to be prepared for future pandemics, which are not far - by developing our capacity and institutional infrastructure. This three-day workshop consists upon the four technical sessions and will conclude on January 27.