Monkeypox patient disappears after locking his home in Mardan: DC

MARDAN: In a shocking development,  the only confirmed monkeypox patient in Mardan, KP, 'disappeared' after locking his house, the District Health Officer (DHO), Dr. Javed Iqbal said.

The patient, who had recently returned from a Gulf country, was diagnosed with monkeypox at a hospital in Peshawar.

The DHO further reported that a medical team was dispatched to the patient’s home in Mardan, but upon arrival, they found the house locked. Similarly, the patient’s family home in his native area of Dir was also found to be closed.

Authorities are continuing their efforts to locate the patient and ensure proper medical care and containment of the disease.

Earlier, surveillance at the airports was tightened across Pakistan after the country confirmed its first case of monkeypox in KP's Peshawar.

Meanwhile, the Border Health Services (BHS) and provincial authorities have also been put on high alert in the wake of the case's detection in the country's north-western province.

Authorities have issued instructions to establish isolation wards in designated hospitals, stocking antiviral medications and ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and all healthcare facilities and points of entry.