Mpox patient travelled recently, says NIH

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has said that the patient under care for Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, had a high temperature and visible marks on his body upon his return from Saudia Arabia, where he had gone to perform umrah.

On Sunday, the NIH confirmed that a 28-year-old patient had been brought to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) with a high fever and symptoms of mpox.

A resident of the Dariala area of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the patient was admitted to the isolation ward with samples confirmed that he was positive for the virus.

The NIH said the patient returned from Saudi Arabia on August 12 with visible signs of an infection, with his condition deteriorating.

Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The healthcare body added that it had taken samples of ten close relatives of the patient, including members of his immediate family, as well as those with whom he had close touch.

None of the family members tested positive or the virus. Prof Dr Mujeeb Ahmed Khan, the focal person in charge of the infectious diseases department at the HFH, said, the patient's condition had substantially improved over the last 24 hours. The fever has gone, and he can be discharged from the hospital in three to four days, said the professor.

Prof Khan added that the patient's latest samples had been sent to the NIH and a private laboratory to analyse the previous report.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2023.