Centres for Disease Control launched at NIH

Islamabad: The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Pakistan was launched at the National Institute of Health (NIH) here Tuesday, marking the start of a brand new initiative to enhance the country's capacity in the field of national public health initiatives.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan, along with Prof. Nausherwan Khan Burki, Chairman of the Health Task Force, and Prof Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Chairman of the Board of Governors of NIH, inaugurated the center at NIH.

CDC Pakistan has been established to enhance the capacity of the public health system in coordination, disease detection, surveillance, response, preparedness, and emergency management of public health events.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has alerted the relevant authorities and professionals to the possibility of the outbreak of seasonal diseases for effective preparedness.

In the June-September 2021 seasonal awareness and alert letter, the NIH exhibited patterns of high priority communicable diseases including Hepatitis (A and E), Cholera, COVID-19, CCHF, Dengue Fever, Leishmaniasis, Malaria, Measles, Polio and XDR Typhoid.

These diseases are predicted to be on high alert during the said season. It also contains the detailed introduction of diseases, case definitions, infectious agents, modes of transmission, case management, and prevention, it added.

The NIH highlighted national and international public health events like Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (Naegleria fowleri) and heat stroke as national while Ebola Virus Disease may be a threat for any of the country or region in future.

On the basis of the last five-year data, the NIH recommended for all Federal, provincial, and district health departments to keep continuous surveillance on the anticipated seasonal public health threats and take all preventive or curative measures in this context.