Hafsa Faruqui from the Provincial Public Health Lab (PPHL) Sindh, Dow University of Health Sciences, recently received the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation travel award to attend the International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Under the guidance and mentorship of Prof. Dr. Saeed Khan, PPHL Sindh continues to advance its critical role in infectious disease surveillance and response across the province and beyond. Hafsa’s remarkable achievements at ICID, where she delivered both Oral and Poster presentations on “Monitoring Durability and Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccine-Induced Immunity in Pakistan” and “Prevalence of Infectious Diseases in Rural Areas of Sindh,” reflect the lab’s dedication to excellence in research and its commitment to strengthening public health systems.

The PPHL’s work, particularly in the areas of infectious disease surveillance, is vital for timely interventions, providing crucial data that informs national health policies and strategies. These presentations at the congress underscored the lab’s contributions to global health initiatives, highlighting how research can inform global solutions to infectious diseases.

Key SDGs that this initiative supports include:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities SDG 4: Quality Education