The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella Surveillance Study in Pakistan

Background. The Enterics for Global Health (EFGH) Shigella surveillance study is a longitudinal multicountry study that aims to estimate incidence rates and document consequences of Shigella diarrhea within 7 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In addition to a high incidence of childhood diarrhea, Pakistan is facing a problem of antimicrobial resistance in urban and peri-urban areas of Karachi. Methods. In Pakistan, EFGH will be conducted in Karachi, which is one of the metropolitan cities bordering the Arabian Sea and has a diverse population of 1.6 million according to the 2017 population census. The study aims to enroll 1400 children aged 6–35 months over 2 years (2022–2024) from 6 health care facilities (Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Khidmat-e-Alam Medical Centre, Sindh Government Hospital Korangi 5, Sindh Government Hospital Ibrahim Hyderi, Ali Akbar Shah VPT Center, and Bhains Colony VPT Center) situated in Nazimabad and Bin-Qasim town. Moreover, population enumeration and health care utilization surveys from a defined catchment area of health facilities will be conducted to estimate the Shigella diarrhea incidence rates. Conclusions. The study will provide critical data to policy-makers about the burden of Shigella and antimicrobial resistance, which is essential for planning Shigella vaccine trials.