THE rising abuse of an anticonvulsant medication in the market is destroying the lives of the country’s youth. The drug, whose generic name is pregabalin and which is available under different brand names, decreases the number of pain signals that are sent out by damaged nerves in the
WORLD Children’s Day is upon us, yet countless children are denied even simple rights that should never be in question. This year’s call to “listen to children and stand up for their rights” feels painfully apt. Millions of children wake up each day to fear and uncertainty. In
At some point in their lives, those who call this country home would have had to go through the experience of being outside when nature calls in the full knowledge that there are few, if any, public toilets nearby. While most men would still be able to make
LAHORE: The phrase “climate change” usually brings to mind flooded plains, destroyed crops and lost livelihoods. Yet the true victims of natural calamities are the children whose hopes for the future are washed away by melting glaciers. Fourteen-year-old Ayesha has witnessed climate disasters terrible enough to drain the
WORLD Diabetes Day arrives as new research sheds light on the extent of discrimination Pakistanis living with diabetes encounter — including children who will eventually become part of a workforce unprepared to support them. The International Diabetes Federation’s latest survey, placing Pakistan at the top of global workplace
Each monsoon in Pakistan heralds less a renewal of life and more a rehearsal for ruin. The 2025 floods, which swept through the vast industrial triangle of Sialkot, Gujrat and Gujranwala and their adjoining areas, were neither the first calamity nor will they be the last. What has
The Gender Parity Report – Islamabad Capital Territory offers a detailed assessment of gender equality across justice, education, economy, health, and governance. While progress is visible in areas like female judicial representation and school enrolment, wide disparities remain in employment, leadership, and healthcare access. The report highlights persistent
The world’s leading researchers, clinicians, survivors, and health advocates gathered in Bangkok for the 37th International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) Conference, a pivotal meeting themed ‘Research Toward the Global Elimination of HPV-related Diseases and Cancers’. Held on October 23-26, against the dazzling backdrop of Thailand’s capital, the conference became
Monsoons bring rain, which in turn bring floods and stagnant water. This in turn leads to lots of mosquitoes and the mosquitoes bring disease. This is about as close to an iron rule as one can get in Pakistan: monsoon season brings dengue and malaria season. This is
OVER the past two decades, Pakistan has faced several HIV eruptions and the ignominy of ranking second among nations with the sharpest rise in HIV cases in the Asia-Pacific region. Sadly, not even the scale of the crisis has spurred the government into action. The Sindh health minister
The world treats defence as an existential priority – and rightly so, because lapses in readiness can trigger cascading crises. Climate change now carries the same gravity for vulnerable regions like Pakistan and whole of South Asia. It shuts factories during heatwaves, collapses bridges in flood season, pushes
Last week, Pakistan’s polio tally for 2025 went up to 30. The latest case was recorded in district Torghar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where over half (19) of this year’s polio cases have come from. While the tally for this year is still much lower than the 74 cases