ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations, Wednesday, following confirmation of monkeypox disease in Pakistan has directed authorities to speed up the process of screening passengers at airports, and set up isolation wards in hospitals.
The ministry announced that 87,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported globally so far. Globally, 119 deaths have been reported in various countries due to the virus.
In Pakistan, 22 samples of suspected cases have been referred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Islamabad since May 2022.
The first case of monkeypox in Pakistan has been confirmed by the NIH among travellers returning to Pakistan. The passengers had recently returned and have been isolated at the PIMS Hospital, the ministry said.
The Health Ministry spokesman said one of the two likely patients of monkeypox is under treatment at PIMS hospital where a dedicated isolation ward has been established.
As there is no evidence of localised transmission of monkeypox as of now in Pakistan, the risk of the international spread of disease from Pakistan remains low. The WHO does not recommend any restrictions on trade on current available information regarding this virus.
The monkeypox advisory to the health authorities and guidelines by Border Health Services based on the recent case detection has been issued to enhance the screening of inbound passengers at all international airports.
The NIH, Provincial Health Departments and Border Health Services at all airports, district health authorities at Islamabad and provinces have been advised to ensure surveillance through laboratory diagnostics, contact tracing, rapid identification of suspected cases and clusters of infections, as well as, the source of infection in order to: provide optimal clinical care; isolate cases to prevent further transmission; identify, manage and follow-up contacts to recognize early signs of infection; identify risk groups for infection and for severe disease; protect frontline health workers; and tailor effective control and prevention measures.
The ministry and NCOC at the NIH Pakistan are vigilantly monitoring the situation both at the national and global levels while keeping all the relevant stakeholders on board for ensuring preparedness, timely response and containment of monkeypox cases in Pakistan.
Following confirmation of the virus, the federal and provincial health authorities have setup isolation wards in all the major hospitals to deal with any situation.
According to health experts, monkeypox is a virus that spreads from animals including rats and primates to humans in exceptional cases. The infectious disease is endemic in Central and West Africa, where a majority of cases have occurred.
The virus was first discovered in 1958 after the outbreak of “pox-like” disease in laboratory monkeys, which gives it the name monkeypox. The symptoms include fever, body pains, chills and exhaustion, while people with severe illness can develop rashes and sores on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.
The disease is a component of the same viral family as smallpox. The quarantine period of the virus usually lasts between five days and three weeks, while a majority of people recover within two to four weeks without hospitalisation. However, one in 10 people can die of monkeypox, which is said to be severe in young people.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023