Zinc Deficiency Poses Silent Public Health Risk in Pakistan, British Expert Says

The symptoms are quiet. A child grows, but slower than others. A mother falls ill too often. The immune system falters, but no one can quite explain why. In many parts of Pakistan, this is not rare — it’s routine. And according to a British expert, the root cause may be far more elusive than most suspect.
“Zinc deficiency is not just underdiagnosed — it’s practically invisible,” said Dr. Nicola Mary Lowe, Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire, addressing a seminar at Rehman Medical College this week. “You won’t find it on a standard test. You won’t hear patients complain about it. But it’s there, eroding public health in the background.”
In her presentation, Dr. Lowe unfolded a picture of a health crisis that rarely makes headlines. Zinc deficiency, she explained, plays a role in stunting children’s growth, weakening immune responses, and compromising maternal health — yet remains largely undetected in routine medical evaluations
Unlike more familiar micronutrient shortfalls, zinc doesn’t wave red flags. It whispers — in missed school days, in weakened newborns, in fatigued mothers. “We are facing a silent epidemic,” she said, urging policymakers and researchers to listen more carefully
Her call was twofold: develop better diagnostic tools, and bring zinc into the heart of public health planning. Fortified foods, supplements, and targeted community interventions — all, she noted, should be tailored to Pakistan’s diverse regions, where diets and access to fortified products vary dramatically.
The session ended with a note of reflection and resolve from Professor Dr. Mukhtiar Zaman, Principal of Rehman Medical College. He thanked Dr. Lowe and the Department of Community Medicine and Public Health for sparking what he called “a necessary conversation.”
“Nutritional health doesn’t begin in hospitals,” Dr. Zaman said. “It begins at the table, in the soil, in our policies. And for that, we need more science — and more honesty.”