Pakistan Tightens Border Controls as Two New Monkeypox Cases Confirmed

Pakistan Tightens Border Controls as Two New Monkeypox Cases Confirmed

Ashiq Butt | August 17, 2024 | 05:05 PM IST | Breaking News, Pakistan News, World | Follow on Google News

Pakistan Tightens Border Controls as Two New Monkeypox Cases Confirmed

Pakistan Tightens Border Controls as Two New Monkeypox Cases Confirmed

Key Highlights:

1. Pakistan confirms two new monkeypox cases, sparking stricter surveillance.
2. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health officials confirm the virus in travelers from UAE.
3. WHO declares monkeypox a global health emergency, urges global cooperation.

Two more cases of monkeypox (mpox) have been detected in Pakistan, prompting the government to implement strict surveillance and precautionary measures at all entry points, including airports.

The Border Health Services Pakistan issued a directive for enhanced monitoring to curb the spread of the virus, which has caused significant fatalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring African countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global health emergency, highlighting the urgent need for international cooperation.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health department confirmed the two latest cases within the province, following the federal health ministry’s announcement of the first mpox case in the country, a resident of K-P who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia.

Salim Khan, the K-P Director-General of Health Services, revealed that the viral infection was detected in passengers arriving from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A third potential case is currently under investigation, with samples sent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad for confirmation.

In response, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued an advisory, emphasizing the need for strict passenger screening at all entry points. Airports across Pakistan, including Karachi, have intensified their screening processes.

According to a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson, isolation rooms have been established for suspected travelers, with samples of symptomatic passengers sent for laboratory testing.

The current outbreak has claimed over 1,100 lives and infected more than 27,000 people in DR Congo since January 2023. The WHO urges all countries to enhance surveillance, share data, and collaborate to control the spread of mpox.

Ashiq Butt

Ashiq Butt – is VoM News's senior staffer worked since year 2015 and he deals with correspondency and social media handles. Hailing from Doda's Marmat, Ashiq has strong grip over the collection of the data and it's compiling feature.