AKU Child Health

14/11/2025

Our Paediatrics Critical Care Medicine Fellows had their End of Year Virtual TOACS Examination with our faculty who presented case scenarios and asked them to diagnose them. This session was organized by Dr. Qalab-e-Abbas and Dr. Naveed ur Rehman. A big thank you to all the faculty members who took part and to Shahzaib Salim for putting everything together.

14/11/2025

Prof. Khadija Humayun is on Paeds Rota today. Did you know mini puberty is a thing? We popped into her lecture to learn about it. (Warning, she mentions some ick body parts).

12/11/2025

If your patient is a teenager or adolescent you might want to know about the Fifth Vital Sign, Last Menstrual Period, or LMP, says Dr Unab Khan. She is teaching the Paeds Rota this month. Before rushing into TSH and Thyroid testing, we should know what is normal and what is abnormal for menstrual cycles.

11/11/2025

Prof. Fyezah Jehan at ASTMH: "Most of us have spent years of our lives chasing emerging pathogens, but now we have a pathogen amongst us that is already here and it’s coming back."

An anti-vaccine movement that “feeds on community vulnerabilities” along with misconceptions about disease risks and practical problems with vaccine storage are contributing to a resurgence of measles globally—including steadily rising cases in the United States and Canada where the disease ha...

11/11/2025

We work on children, but also on the other end of the age spectrum. Manjeet Singh is researching Alzheimer's Disease in Pakistan and links to cousin marriages (63% of all marriages, a global high). So far, there have been no studies or data from Pakistan on Alzheimer's Disease so Singh wants to study the genes linked to it. His pilot study of 200 volunteers at our field sites and at AKU in Karachi began in May. The elderly volunteers are tested, get MRIs and give blood (for genomic sequencing). Their average age is 68 years. If anyone in your family suffers from Alzheimer's they can become part of his larger study that is in the works. The more we learn about what causes it, the better we can protect ourselves. In India they are discovering, for example, environmental pollution is linked to AD.
Dr Imran Nisar started a weekly research seminar in which one member of the Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, the Infectious Disease Research Lab or the Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (all run by Paediatrics faculty) share what they are working on. All the researchers attend so they stay in the loop about the work at AKU.

07/11/2025

📋 Multicentre Observational Study on the Perceived Onset of Winter in the Department of Paediatrics & Child Health at AKU Medical College, Pakistan

Background:
While Karachi has historically demonstrated resistance to “winter,” anecdotal evidence from the Department of Paediatrics suggested a sudden decline in ambient temperature below the thermoregulatory comfort threshold (TCT).

Objective:
To determine whether winter has been statistically and emotionally detected among departmental staff.

Methods:
Using a cross-sectional design, the social media team conducted temperature surveillance (n=47) across the WCH building basement and second floor and one unsuspecting seminar room. Core temperature was not measured (ethical constraints), but self-reported “sardi” responses were recorded. Data were analysed using highly sophisticated Excel formulas (version 2010).

Results:

68% (95% CI: 12–143%) of respondents reported “feeling cold.”

42% showed early adaptive behaviours (e.g. donning lab coats for warmth rather than infection control).

Incidence of hot beverage consumption increased by 300% (p

07/11/2025

Case study: A 14-year-old presents with a period that has lasted six weeks. She and her mother are worried. How do you examine and what differentials come to mind? Dr Unab Khan shepherds our Paediatrics students through the case. Even we didn't expect the answer that is the correct one.
We love capturing moments at AKU Medical College, Pakistan teaching so you get a raw unedited glimpse at what a medical education involves. But these videos are also very much for non-medical people because you learn so much about how doctors should correctly approach a case.

06/11/2025

The Center of Excellence, Women & Child Health, is organizing a seminar tomorrow.
Date: 7th November 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Venue: AKU Auditorium
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18LLYG0KGbpakSpUxM0pZux9dL2orrvvKqDufcTP26T4/edit

05/11/2025

Pakistan has made great strides toward polio eradication, but the final stretch remains the toughest. Join the World Health Organization and Aga Khan University for a Brownbag session on the progress, challenges, and next steps in reaching every child with lifesaving vaccines.

📅 Friday, November 21, 2025
🕥 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 AKU Auditorium | 🌐 Hybrid
🔗 Register here: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pnwHO953TEuYFdyczJhKuA

05/11/2025

“Identifying Children with Disabilities Where Resources Are Limited. What Can We Do?”
This session will explore practical approaches, tools, and strategies to support early identification and intervention, even in challenging contexts.

📢 Speaker: Dr. Melissa Gladstone, University of Liverpool

📅 6th November, 2025 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm
📍 EDH, 1st Floor, Aga Khan University Hospital

Register now to secure your spot and be part of this important conversation.

https://forms.gle/91cJx137YMf6R2Jz8

04/11/2025