@article{Arshad_Afzal_2020, title={An update on preventive measures of COVID-19 in Pakistan}, volume={26}, url={https://www.annalskemu.org/journal/index.php/annals/article/view/3266}, DOI={10.21649/akemu.v26i1.3266}, abstractNote={Throughout the human history, multiple disease outbreaks have affected millions of people around the globe. Such pandemics with high morbidity and mortality rates affected the countries in the worst possible ways1. The first deadly virus pandemic was reported in 1918 known as Spanish flue involving H1N1 influenza virus affecting 500 million people around the globe and death toll raised from 17 million to 50 million. In 2009 the world again faced another H1N1 Swine flu pandemic during 2009-2010 with 6.8 billion people under effect and almost 5 million deaths. Similarly world is facing another problem of COVID-19 since December 2019.It started as an epidemic in the city of Wuhan , China and considered as the one of the greatest threat to the human health and health economics. The virus has crossed multiple geographical boundaries and declared pandemic by World Health Organization, affecting almost every country in the world. There is a need to take urgent and forceful actions to change the course of the disease. The countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Iraq, and other European countries2,3 have demonstrated that the virus can be suppressed and controlled. But this picture has another side. COVID-19 is just like any other flu disease. The mortality rate is still low and if every country steps up its preventive strategies and implement the action plans to control the disease, soon this pandemic will be over. World Health Organization calling COVID-19 a pandemic is not a huge surprise as more than 100 countries are involved and its spread is multiplied on daily basis. However, it is a preventable contagious disease. Due to exaggeration by the media, panic among the public and myths about the disease has affected economic status of many countries. Pakistan's southern Sindh province is the worst-affected with the virus and 15 people have been tested positive till Feburary 2020. Most countries are using ‘Containment strategies’. Pakistan has also increased health screening on airports and boarders. As cases are being reported on daily basis, Pakistan Government needs to step up the game and design proper control strategies for COVID. More work should be done on Pandemic preparedness, outbreak detection and response. Proper allocation of Resources must be done to control the current situation. WHO has warned countries to get ready for the accelerated phase during which rapid increase in the COVID-19 cases will occur. In Pakistan, significant steps have been taken for surveillance, social distancing, isolation and quarantine and every effort has been made by public health and preventive medicine experts for early diagnosis and prompt treatment. }, number={1}, journal={Annals of King Edward Medical University}, author={Arshad, Amber and Afzal, Saira}, year={2020}, month={May}, pages={1–2} }