Pakistan: Two more mpox cases detected; stricter surveillance, border checks ordered

Karachi [Pakistan], August 17 (ANI): Two more cases of monkeypox virus have been detected in Pakistan, raising further concerns following which the Pakistan government ordered strict surveillance and precautionary measures at all entry points, including airports, Express Tribune reported citing officials.

The Border Health Services Pakistan issued a letter to the relevant officials for strict monitoring and precautionary measures to check the spread of monkeypox.

The virus also known as mpox, has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring countries in Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global health emergency.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health department confirmed two mpox cases in the province. On Thursday the federal health ministry confirmed the country’s first mpox case – also a resident of K-P, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, Express Tribune reported.

Following the confirmation of the first mpox case, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued an advisory on the measures to deal with the disease.

Salim Khan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director-general of health services, said that the viral infection was detected in passengers upon their arrival from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Samples of a third patient had been sent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad for confirmation, he added.

The border authorities have been instructed to improve screening of passengers at all entry points, including airports, and also isolate and report passengers with suspected injuries or related symptoms.

According to a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson, the screening process was going on at airports across the country, including Karachi.

“The airport administration is ensuring the implementation of the NCOC instructions. The Border Health Services has established an isolation room for suspected travellers. In case of symptoms, the sample is sent for lab test,” Express Tribune quoted him as saying..

Over 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children have been reported in DR Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023.

Recently, Sweden also confirmed the first case of a more contagious strain of mpox, which was the first case of the strain outside Africa.

Following this, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged affected countries to work together to tackle the monkeypox outbreak and called on all nations to address the current outbreak.

The WHO Director-General emphasized the need for enhanced surveillance, data sharing, and collaboration to combat the transmission of the mpox virus.