KARACHI, March 12: The 4th annual conference on infectious diseases will be held at Liaquat National Hospital’s convention centre from March 17 to 19.

The moot being held under the aegis of Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan will be attended by local and foreign experts coming from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, South Africa. They will discuss and deliver lectures on viral hemorrhagic fever, dengue, bird flu and natural disaster-related infections.

Besides, a pre-conference symposium in infection control will be held on March 16 at Aga Khan University Hospital for doctors, nurses and paramedics.

The president of Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan, Dr Nasim Salahuddin, told Dawn that a deluge of viral hemorrhagic fever had taken the medical community by storm, the graph of HIV/AIDS had risen sharply, cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sindh had become a worrisome problem, as had rabies in rural areas.

Moreover, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, typhoid and hospital bacteria added to our apprehensions over management of these concerns and infectious diseases arising out from the earthquake have added to our fears of delayed disaster management, she said, adding that these and many more issues will be discussed and treated academically as well as pragmatically at the conference by experts in these fields.

Dr Nasim Salahuddin, who is also chairperson of the conference, said that tuberculosis, hepatitis, Aids, rabies, typhoid, diarrhoeas, dysenteries, viral respiratory infections and many more infections affect almost every system of the body, and virtually every stratum of our society. Infections, if undiagnosed and untreated, lead to disability and death, she cautioned.