As global concerns over monkeypox escalate, Pakistan is facing an increasing number of cases, prompting heightened vigilance among health authorities.
With the virus spreading internationally, efforts are intensifying to curb its transmission, especially among returning travellers.
Pakistan’s monkeypox cases have now risen to four, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirming its third case after the virus was detected in a passenger returning from abroad.
The KP Director of Public Health confirmed that the Public Health Laboratory identified monkeypox in a patient from Orakzai, who was then transferred to Peshawar’s Services Hospital after showing symptoms at the airport.
In response to the ongoing global monkeypox outbreak, the Federal Ministry of Health has issued strict guidelines, including screening, isolation, and preventive measures like thermal scanning at all international airports in the country.
Additionally, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has instructed all airlines flying into Pakistan to adopt preventive measures at airports.
The PCAA is also responsible for ensuring compliance with these health measures by conducting regular inspections and audits.
The Border Health Services (BHS), which leads mpox-related operations at international airports, is managing the isolation and safe transportation of suspected cases to designated medical facilities.
These directives were issued after a new variant of the virus, which spreads more easily through close contact, was confirmed on August 15 in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa—the first indication of its spread beyond the continent.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mpox is a viral disease related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus. It can spread through close contact and contaminated materials like bedding, clothing, and needles.
Early symptoms include fever, chills, muscle pain, swollen glands, fatigue, headache, and muscle weakness, followed by a painful or itchy rash with raised lesions that scab over and heal within weeks.
It’s worth noting that of the four monkeypox cases reported in Pakistan, three have been in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mardan, Nowshera, and Orakzai. However, none of these cases were domestic; all were detected in passengers returning from abroad.
The Director of Public Health provided an update on the latest case, stating that the patient’s condition is stable and he is receiving treatment at Services Hospital.