With more than 65 percent of marriages between cousins in Pakistan and the rate rising to 85 percent in some communities, experts have highlighted the rapid rise in genetic disorders across the country.
Addressing a Swiss-Pakistan workshop titled “Genomic Disorders and Recessive Disorders” at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), he warned that Pakistan is one of the countries where same-sex marriages are prevalent worldwide. The rate is the highest.
Experts from Pakistan and Switzerland discussed the effects of genetic mutations caused by cousin marriage in a workshop held on Tuesday at Dow International Medical College’s Dr. Abdul Qadir Khan Auditorium.
DUHS Vice-Chancellor Professor Muhammad Saeed Qureshi noted that cultural, social and economic factors drive this trend, which, while having certain biological benefits, significantly increases the risk of recurrent and dominant genetic disorders in children. are
Prof. Qureshi revealed that genetic diseases like thalassemia, microcephaly and other hereditary conditions occur in families with recurrent consanguinity. He said that the alarming rate of cousin marriage in Pakistan calls for urgent genetic research and intervention in health care.
The chief guest of the workshop, Prof. Attaur Rahman, emphasized the importance of scientific development to deal with genetic diseases. He observed that despite economic challenges, Pakistan is making progress in biological and genetic research.
About 2,980 genes have been identified that are associated with recurrent diseases, while an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 remain unknown, said Dr. Stylanos Antonarakis from the University of Geneva. They explained that genomic variability can drive evolution but also imposes a burden of genetic disorders, especially in populations with high rates of cousin marriage.
Aga Khan University’s Dr Ambrin Fatima highlighted the high prevalence of genetic disorders in Pakistan, with a 6% carrier frequency of thalassemia and one of the highest rates of microcephaly in the world. He also criticized the limited attention to genetic disorders in the health care system, which is overwhelmed by infectious diseases and malnutrition.