LAHORE: (Wednesday, April 13, 2016):  Punjab University Dean Faculty of Life Sciences Prof Dr Naeem Khan has said that every year 1.5 million people die globally due to just one infectious disease, the pneumonia, found predominantly in children and the elderly people.  He was addressing a one day “International Symposium on Infectious Diseases, Prevention and Control” organized by Punjab University Institute of Biochemistry & Biotechnology (IBB) here on Wednesday. Incharge IBB Dr Mahjabeen Saleem, Dr. Spenta Kakalia from Canada, organizers including IBB’s Assistant Professors Dr Asma Manzoor, Dr Muhammad Khurshid, Dr Zafar Iqbal, senior faculty members and researchers from various national institutions and a large number of students were present on the occasion.

In his inaugural address, Dr Naeem Khan said that Punjab University Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) had developed laboratory scale interferon vaccine for hepatitis-C patients through pharmaceutical protein gene cloning.  He hoped that the symposium will help create public awareness for the prevention and cure of infectious diseases like polio, pneumonia, yellow fever, measles, meningitis and bacteremia. Dr. Spenta Kakalia from Canada; Dr. Sajjad Rafiq, Pediatrician & Neonatologist Dr. Farhana Muzaffar, Skin Specialist from Hamid Latif Hospital and Prof. Dr. Javed Iqbal Qazi, Chairman, Zoology Department presented their scholarly research papers as key-note speakers. The symposium was attended among others by Dr. Samra, Dr. Nadeem Sheikh, Dr. Muhammad Khurshid, Dr. Zafar Iqbal and research fellows.