Punjab remains mpox-free

LAHORE:

Although no case of the mpox disease has been reported in Punjab, the provincial government is making arrangements to cope with the risk.

A spokesman, Hamad Raza, told The Express Tribune that the situation in the province was under control of the provincial health authorities and all hospitals were on alert to deal with the threat. He said the health authorities were aware of every development related to the issue and were getting updates on a daily basis.

According to a medical specialist, pregnant women, children and old people with weak  immunity are at a higher risk of mpox. Self-isolation is mandatory if the disease is diagnosed in any person.

The doctor said the people should not pay heed to rumours about the disease.

Over 90 per cent of the patients recover from mpox with simple medication.

Concerns about the possibility of the disease spreading started after reports of two patients' presence in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

Both patients have recovered and shifted to their homes.

As part of the Punjab government's arrangements to protect the citizens from the risk, a disease warning centre set up at the Institute of Public Health was inaugurated on Tuesday.

On the other hand, a senior health official said the Punjab government was concerned about the matter but the hospital staff in several districts were unaware of the arrangements.

He said the nursing staff in the hospitals might require training to treat the patients.

"The urgent need that is that hospitals in the province should be alerted and training of the doctors, nurses and paramedical staff should be started so that we become ready to handle the disease in future," the official added.

Provincial Caretaker Specialised Healthcare Minister Dr Javed Akram said more than 70 countries were dealing with mpox, which was an and old disease.

"The death ratio due to this disease is 0.7 per cent and direct contact is the basic reason of its spread. It takes eight o 10 days for the symptoms of mpox to appear, including red pimples. PCR test identifies the presence of the virus in the body," he said.

He said the government wanted to inform the people about mpox while also avoiding panic.

A training centre has bee. set up in the Institute of Public Health for the purpose.

A leader of a doctors' association, Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh said the monkeypox virus had been discovered in Denmark in 1958 and the disease could spread from person to person and some times from animals to humans.

The disease mostly affects children, pregnant women and people with a weak immunity system, he added.

Senior Medical Specialist Dr Munir Ghouri said the patients initially might feel fever, backache and muscle pain with rash on the face, palms and soles.

“The training of the doctors and staff in connection with the monkeypox has started at the Institute of Public Health,” said Dr Zarafshan Tahir, Punjab focal person for monkeypox alerts and Dean Institute of Public Health.

“We have established isolation wards at hospitals with maximum beds while hospital administration established a six-doctors committee to deal with monkeypox patients,” said PRO Lahore Gernal Hospital Zahid Ch.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2023.