Zahra Hasan

Biographic Data

ID7011606
NAMEZahra Hasan
GIVEN NAMESZahra
FAMILY NAMEHasan
SIGNATUREHASAN Z
AFFILIATIONSAga Khan University
ORCID0000-0001-7580-372X
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS6
TOTAL CITATIONS0
WORKS AS AUTHOR6
WORKS AS EDITOR0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2023
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2025
H-INDEX0

  • Validation of polyester nasal swabs for post-mortem Sars-CoV-2 diagnosis in Karachi, Pakistan

    Open AccessRaheel Allana, Fatima Aziz et al.ARTICLEJournal of Global Health2025

    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global health, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) facing unique healthcare challenges. Polyester nasal swabs stored in dry tubes have emerged as a cost-effective and scalable method for routine testing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among deceased individuals in an urban slum in Karachi, Pakista…

  • Evaluating the burden of respiratory tract infections among mortality cases in Karachi, Pakistan

    Open AccessFurqan Kabir, Raheel Allana et al.ARTICLEJournal of Global Health2025

    Background: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) significantly impact global health, but particularly affect low- and middle-income countries. They contribute to morbidity and mortality, especially among vulnerable populations. We evaluated the burden of RTIs in mortality cases in an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan, during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study from September 2022 to October 2023…

  • Evidence of rapid rise in population immunity from Sars-CoV-2 subclinical infections through pre-vaccination serial serosurveys in Pakistan

    Open AccessJunaid Iqbal, Zahra Hasan et al.ARTICLEJournal of Global Health2025

    Background: Understanding factors associated with protective immunity against emerging viral infections is crucial for global health. Pakistan reported its first COVID-19 case on 26 February 2020, but experienced relatively low COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality between 2020 and 2022. The underlying reasons for this remain unclear, and our research aims to shed light on this crucial issue. Methods: We conducted a serial population-based ser…

  • Disparities in age and gender-specific Sars-CoV-2 diagnostic testing trends

    Open AccessNajia Karim Ghanchi, Kiran Iqbal Masood et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2024

    The analysis indicates a consistent male dominance in COVID-19 testing, with higher positivity rates in older age groups. Our study highlight the importance of examining demographic characteristics in disease associated data especially, representation of females amongst cohorts

  • Using rapid antigen testing for early, safe return-to-work for healthcare personnel after Sars-CoV-2 infection in a healthcare system in Pakistan

    Open AccessUnab I Khan, Syed Faisal Mahmood et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2023

    Anticipating staff shortage during the Omicron variant surge, we modified the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s contingency guidelines at a healthcare system in Pakistan. Infected staff had a SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test after 5–7 days of isolation, to decide a safe return-to-work. This led to signifcant cost savings without compromising patient/staff safety

  • Tracking Sars-CoV-2 variants through pandemic waves using RT-PCR testing in low-resource settings

    Open AccessAsghar Nasir, Uzma Bashir Aamir et al.ARTICLEPLOS Global Public Health2023

    COVID-19 resulted in extensive morbidity and mortality worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 evolved rapidly, with increasing transmission due to Variants of Concern (VOC). Identifying VOC became important but genome submissions from low-middle income countries (LMIC) remained low leading to gaps in genomic epidemiology. We demonstrate the use of a specific mutation RT-PCR based approach to identify VOC in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples through the pandemic in Paki…