KARACHI, April 29: Looming threat of a wide range of infections at institutional as well as community levels across the globe enhances urgency to adopt universal precautionary measures particularly in healthcare facilities in Pakistan.
Most of the infections, including bird flu, are preventable through due stock of general hygiene among the masses.
These views were expressed by health experts addressing a seminar ‘Bird Flu: Emerging infection, opportunities and challenges’, jointly organised by the National Institute of Child Health and the Infection Control Society, Pakistan here on Saturday.
In particular context of bird flu, they stressed poultry farms' workers and those in close contact with the birds need to be particularly careful in safe handling of these to avoid any risk. It was also reminded that necessary provision for microbiologists at poultry farms would not only ensure occupational health safety for concerned workers but also improve quality existence of poultry, which were as a normal phenomenon vulnerable to a wide range of viruses.
The speakers including Dr Hasan Nawab, Dr Khursheed Hashmi from Dow University of Health Sciences, Dr Moughisuddin Ahmed from Karachi Medical and Dental College, Dr Yousuf Kamal Mirza from Aga Khan University Hospital and Dr Rafiq Khanani focussing on vulnerability of healthcare workers and patients exposed to hospital-based infections stressed the need for proper education and absolute compliance to universal guidelines for infection control to prevent any severe situation.Regretting non-availability of any authentic data relevant to actual scenario, Dr Moughisuddin referred to the scattered studies and estimates revealing that medical professionals in Pakistan had been continuously exposed to viral infections ranging from Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C to HIV due to prick injury within hospital settings.
He maintained that the infectees were associated with both private and public sector facilities adding that hospital induced infections were not restricted to the three mentioned diseases but included a long list of other infections that could be transmitted through respiratory tract due to non-compliance to necessary and cost effective control strategies.
Dr Mughisuudin urged the professionals to lobby for mandatory provision for infection control and surveillance committees in all hospitals and laboratories across the country.
Speakers with specific reference to required measures while handling any bird flu case said that the universal guidelines to handle infections in general must be adopted. They reiterated that history provided by the patients or their caretakers were of utmost importance for any special handling of possible bird flu cases prior to availability of diagnostic or confirmation reports.
They said that though no human case of bird flu had been confirmed in the country, precaution was prerequisite to prevent any possibility.—APP
