The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination announced that Pakistan had detected its first two cases of monkeypox in foreign visitors.
Health ministry officials reported that on April 17, a person displaying monkeypox symptoms arrived in Pakistan after being deported from Saudi Arabia. Another passenger who shared a seat with the affected individual on the flight also developed similar symptoms.
The identities of the two patients have been kept confidential, and their samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. The NIH confirmed on Monday that both individuals carried the infectious virus. Officials revealed that the patients reside in either Rawalpindi or Islamabad, and their family members are undergoing screening and quarantine to prevent further spread.
One patient has been admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, while the other is in-home quarantine. Both are reportedly in stable condition. Airports nationwide have been put on high alert following the virus’s detection, and the ministry has sent patient samples to the NIH for further analysis.
Monkeypox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. There are two distinct clades: clade I and Clade II. Common symptoms include a skin rash or mucosal lesions lasting 2-4 weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle pains, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. Transmission to humans can occur through direct contact with an infected person, contaminated objects, or infected animals.
Treatment for monkeypox primarily involves palliative care. In some cases, vaccines and therapeutics developed for smallpox and approved in certain countries may be used for monkeypox treatment. Since May 2022, over 78,000 human monkeypox infections have been reported globally.
