Mpox cases startle K-P into action

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Department of Health has taken emergency steps after the province received a fresh case of monkeypox from Mardan district, the same area which also suffered the first of Covid-19 during the pandemic.

K-P has so far detected one other case of monkeypox from Mardan, while two other cases were reported in 2023.

Public Health Director Dr Irshad Roghani confirmed that the first Mpox case of 2024 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was reported from a patient from Mardan. "The patient is experiencing mild symptoms and has been quarantined at home. Contact tracing efforts are currently underway, with the department monitoring those who have come into contact with the patient," he revealed.

Dr Roghani added that isolation wards are being set up for Mpox patients, and screening of all suspected travelers from abroad, particularly from Gulf countries, is ongoing. The Department of Health has already issued an advisory for the public and healthcare workers. On the global front, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Mpox an emergency.

Since 2022, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa confirmed three cases of Mpox. Two patients have already recovered, while samples from the current active case have been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for further analysis.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah has expressed serious concern over the recent confirmation of an Mpox case in Mardan. In response, he has directed his department to take immediate and effective measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

He instructed Dr Irshad Roghani to priorities surveillance, contact tracing, and monitor the patient's movements.

Qasim Ali Shah also highlighted that border health services teams have been deployed at the Pak-Afghan border and airports to ensure the screening of all incoming passengers, particularly those suspected of carrying the symptoms.

Public Health Reference Laboratory Director and Associate Professor Yasir Mehmood, while talking to The Express Tribune, said M-Pox (previously known as monkeypox) is a virus from the Pox virus family. Other viruses in this family include chickenpox, cowpox and smallpox. This virus came from monkeys to humans, but now human-to-human transmission is most common.

He further stated that it was previously believed to be extremely rare, but more recently, cases from all over the world have been reported. Due to this reason, the WHO declared the ailment a public health emergency of international concern in 2022 and now again in August 2024. Dr Yasir continued that K-P has detected a case in the current outbreak. "The case is a male who presented himself to a local doctor for assessment of skin lesions.'

A sample was taken and sent to PHRL, KMU for virus detection and was found to be positive for MPox. "Genomic sequencing is under process to identify the source/origin of the virus" he added. He further added that despite this being an infectious disease, there is no need to panic.

"The disease transmits mainly from close (body fluids or skin-to-skin) contact with the infected patient. After transmission, there is an incubation period of up to 14 days, followed by nonspecific symptoms such as fever, body aches etc.