LAHORE– The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination has confirmed that Pakistan has experienced its first case of monkeypox. According to reports, the infected person arrived in Pakistan on April 17 after traveling from Saudi Arabia and exhibiting symptoms of monkeypox. Although the infected person’s identity has been kept secret, authorities have stated that they are either Rawalpindi or Islamabad residents. The National Institute of Health (NIH), in Islamabad, received samples of the infected person and announced on Monday that the person was in possession of the contagious virus. All domestic airports have been placed on high alert, and the ministry has started tracking down contacts of the infected person.
The authorities have also sent samples of suspected patients to the NIH. Monkeypox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, which is transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the common symptoms of monkeypox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last 2–4 weeks and are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
The disease is treated with supportive care, while vaccines and therapeutics developed for smallpox and approved for use in some countries can be used for monkeypox in some circumstances.
Since May 2022, a global outbreak of human monkeypox infections has been reported in over 78,000 people, and the discovery of this case in Pakistan has raised concerns about the potential spread of the disease in the country.
The authorities are urging people to take necessary precautions, including maintaining good hygiene practices and avoiding contact with infected individuals and animals.
