March 26, 2020

HSP Fellow, UVAS, Lahore, Pakistan Combat COVID-19

The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan has been proactive in combating COVID-19 in Pakistan.

HSP Fellow Muhammad Ilyas Riaz and collaborator Dr. Sohail Raza assisted the Department of Microbiology, UVAS with putting on a seminar and walk to raise awareness of COVID-19 before any cases were diagnosed in Pakistan.  The event was hosted in collaboration with the Institute of Public Health Lahore (IPH) on February 4, 2020; leadership from University of Education Lahore (UE), IPH and UVAS co-chaired sessions, which were attended by students, faculty members and officials from IPH. The event addressed the emergence of a Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), with a focus on transmission, symptoms and prevention by adopting best hygiene practices.  Speakers also highlighted the need to use social media to educate the general public and curb the spread of misinformation about the disease.

HSP Center of Excellences collaborators Dr. Masood Rabbani and Dr. Ali Ahmad Sheikh are leading a COVID-19 awareness campaign at UVAS. They are preparing and distributing information on the virus to UVAS students, staff and the public using banners and pamphlets. UVAS is also taking steps to establish real-time PCR for COVID-19 diagnosis.