Reported conjunctivitis outbreak in Karachi, Pakistan: State of hand hygiene in a post-pandemic world

In this text, we detail the rise in conjunctivitis cases reported in Karachi, Pakistan over the month of August 2023 and assess the potential contributing factors, that include the city’s humid weather, worsening air quality and less-than-expected rainfall in the ongoing Monsoon season. Additionally, the practice of hand hygiene which was implemented rigorously during the COVID-19 pandemic is recognized to have had a positive impact towards control of various infections that spread in a similar fashion as the virus, including conjunctivitis. Since a decrease in compliance with hand hygiene measures in the post-pandemic world, this rise in ‘pink-eye’ cases calls for initiation of ground-level research led by ophthalmologists to obtain a true prevalence of the condition. This review will also serve as the foundation for the initiation of policies dictating hygiene implementation and planning of awareness campaigns for the general public that can serve as effective preventative measures in order to curb the spread of this condition.