Pakistan reports first confirmed case of Monkeypox
According to the officials, the infected person is a resident of either Rawalpindi or Islamabad
Pakistan has detected its first confirmed case of monkeypox on Tuesday.
As reported, the country’s first case of Monkeypox has been detected in a person who travelled to Pakistan from abroad.
The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination confirmed Tuesday that the person, whose identity has been kept confidential, was deported from Saudi Arabia and landed in Pakistan on April 17 with symptoms of monkeypox.
The samples of the person were then sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.
A day earlier, the facility confirmed that he was a carrier of the infectious virus Monkeypox.
According to the officials, the said person is a resident of either Rawalpindi or Islamabad, and his relatives are now being screened and asked to remain in quarantine to ensure the virus does not spread.
The authorities have also started tracing his contracts.
Pakistan’s government increased surveillance for the monkeypox disease after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022.
“All the national and provincial health authorities have been advised to remain on high alert for any suspected case of monkeypox as the government has started taking effective measures to prevent the disease,” Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said.
He said that international health regulations related to monkeypox will be fully implemented in the country. “The government would continue its work as per the guidelines of WHO”, he said.
Mpox (monkeypox) is a rare viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.
It can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.
The virus, in most cases, starts with a fever and often flu-like symptoms followed by a rash that can spread to many areas of the body.
Monkeypox’s symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
