Seventh case of mpox diagnosed in Pakistan

A seventh Pakistani passenger coming from the Middle East has been diagnosed with monkeypox virus at Islamabad Airport, confirmed the Ministry of Health on Monday.

According to the sources, a 44-year-old man, belonging to Gujrat in Punjab, who returned to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia was detected at Islamabad Airport. He was transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for further medical assistance.

“As many as 630,000 passengers were checked by the screening at Islamabad airport, and the Ministry of Health was taking measures to ensure the monitoring at airports across the country,” said Mukhtar Ahmed, PM's coordinator for health.

He added that the provincial governments, by using all resources, were taking effective measures to address mpox disease.

A day earlier, three suspects of monkeypox at Karachi Airport were transferred to the Sindh government’s Infectious Diseases Hospital. 

Later, all three were discharged after the test resulted in a negative.

On the other hand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved the first monkeypox vaccine, MVA-BN.

The vaccine is approved for individuals aged 18 years and older and administered in two doses, four weeks apart. The vaccine is reported to be 76% effective after one dose and 82% effective after two doses.

The WHO has declared monkeypox a public health emergency.

In 2023, Pakistan had reported 11 mpox cases, including one death.

During the ongoing threat, the Pakistan Association (PMA) has urged the government to implement emergency and stringent measures to prevent the entry and spread of the virus in the country.

The PMA also stressed the need to enhance contact tracing and isolation efforts for suspected cases to control the outbreak.