Islamabad, Aug 16 (EFE).- Pakistani authorities have confirmed the first case of mpox in the country after the World Health Organisation declared its outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern.”
It marked the first confirmed case in Asia since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency for the disease.
“A patient has tested positive for the mpox virus,” Health ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah told EFE, adding that the patient recently returned from a Gulf country.
Samples from two other patients in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been sent to the National Institute of Health for confirmation.
The first confirmed case was also detected in the province, though Shah did not specify the variant involved.
Pakistan’s health ministry issued a notice on Thursday outlining measures to manage the outbreak.
The ministry said screening systems at airports and entry points were being strengthened.
A special meeting on the country’s preparedness was held, attended by the prime minister’s health coordinator.
Mpox cases in Pakistan are rare, with the country recording a total of 11 cases and one death since April 2023, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
Sweden reported the first case of mpox outside Africa in this outbreak on Thursday. The infected patient had recently been in the affected region of Africa.
This marks the second time in two years that this infectious disease has been declared a threat to international health, after the previous alert was lifted in May last year when the situation was deemed under control.
Common infection indicators include rashes, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle ache, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
The new variant can be easily transmitted through close and is considered more dangerous than the 2022 variant. EFE
aa-hbc-ssk
