Prime Minister Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif’s liaison for health Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath has said on Saturday that the World Health Organization Monkey pox has not yet declared an emergency like Covid-19.
During a news conference in Islamabad, he said that ‘after 26 cases were reported in South Africa, the World Health Organization issued an advisory regarding those traveling abroad.’
According to him: ‘There has been only one case of monkeypox in Pakistan. This case was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Isolation is the best treatment for monkeypox.’
He said that this disease is 99% curable. There is no immediate danger of death, but more caution is needed if the affected person develops another illness. The virus automatically disappears after a certain period of time.’
According to him: ’11 cases have been reported in Pakistan so far last year. One of these patients died, but not because of the monkey, but because the said person had the AIDS virus in him which weakened his immunity so much that he could not survive.’
He further said that four of these cases came positive in Punjab. Three cases were positive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The first case in Pakistan was reported on 11 April 2023.
Two passengers who came to Islamabad from abroad tested positive. One case each came to light in Sindh and Balochistan. Those who tested positive had traveled to more Gulf states.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said that the affected patient shows symptoms in four to 15 days. The World Health Organization has prohibited mass vaccination.
He said that on the instructions of the Prime Minister, the first meeting of NCOC was held in which a briefing was given regarding testing laboratories, kits and medicines. Those coming from Europe will also be given first priority.
According to him: ‘Officials at provinces and airports have been directed to make security arrangements effective. Arrangements were made to check symptoms on arrival of passengers.’
Earlier, the spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health also confirmed a suspected case of monkeypox in the country yesterday.
High alert in Pakistan
Following the identification of a new strain of monkeypox virus by the World Health Organization (WHO), its recent outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern, following which the relevant agencies in Pakistan have also been on high alert. Alerted.
Sajid Shah, spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Health, told Independent Urdu on Thursday that Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, has directed all airports across the country to be on alert to prevent M.pox.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement regarding the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, that the Border Health Services Pakistan organization has been put on high alert, the screening system is being ensured at all airports and the International Health Regulation. Implementation of recommendations is being ensured.
The Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health said that all necessary measures are being taken to keep the public safe from epidemics.
“The Ministry of Health and Border Health Services personnel are on alert to deal with any kind of sudden disaster and the Ministry of Health is ensuring monitoring of the situation.”
He added that national and provincial public health laboratories are well equipped to confirm monkeypox virus.
There have been cases of monkeypox in Pakistan before. It was not immediately clear which variant of the virus was detected in the patients.
The disease originated in Africa
The WHO on Wednesday declared the outbreak of a new strain of monkeypox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency, warning that the virus could spread across international borders.
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Since the current outbreak began in January 2023, there have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths in Congo, mostly among children.
According to the WHO website, the disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, can cause severe itching, enlarged lymph nodes (lumps) and fever, and can make some people very ill.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Health, more than 17,000 cases of suspected monkeypox have been reported in African countries so far this year, while 517 deaths have been reported.
What is Minki Pox?
Monkeypox, also known as ‘M.pox’, was first discovered by scientists in 1958, when a ‘pox-like’ disease broke out in monkeys. Until recently, the disease in humans was observed in people in Central and West Africa, who came into close contact with infected animals.
In 2022, the virus was first confirmed to be transmitted through sexual contact, sparking an epidemic in more than 70 countries around the world, where no cases of monkeypox had previously been reported.
Monkeypox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox and its symptoms include fever, chills and body aches. In more severe cases, wounds develop on a person’s face, hands, chest and genitals.
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2024-08-17 15:23:41
