‘Cousin marriages increase risk of genetic disorders by up to 18 times’

Around 60-70 percent of marriages in Pakistan are consanguineous, increasing the risk of recessive genetic disorders by up to 18 times, said Professor Dr Tariq Mahmood Ali while speaking to participants of a consultative meeting on the National Genomic Policy of Pakistan. The meeting was convened by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Health Services Academy (HSA), and brought together leading national and international experts in genomics, genetics, molecular biology, public health, and health policy from Pakistan and abroad. Experts from Aga Khan University, Quaid-i-Azam University, CEMB Lahore, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, participated in the consultation and unanimously described the proposed policy as a landmark initiative for Pakistan’s healthcare future.