More mpox cases prompt nationwide border checks

K-P confirms two more patients; surveillance begins at airports

KARACHI/PESHAWAR:

The government ordered strict surveillance and precautionary measures at all entry points, including airports, as the emergence of two more monkeypox virus cases raised the total number of confirmed patients to at least three, officials said on Friday.

The Border Health Services Pakistan issued a letter to the relevant officials for strict monitoring and precautionary measures to check the spread of monkeypox, also called mpox, that has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring countries in Africa.

The letter came as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health department confirmed two mpox cases in the province. On Thursday the federal health ministry confirmed the country's first mpox case – also a resident of K-P, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia.

The confirmation of the first mpox case prompted the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to issue an advisory on the measures to deal with the disease. A day earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared a global health emergency to stop the mpox spread.

Salim Khan, the K-P director-general of health services, said that the viral infection was detected in passengers upon their arrival from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Samples of a third patient had been sent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Islamabad for confirmation, he added.

According to the letter issued to the border authorities, instructions had been given for improving the screening of passengers at all entry points, including airports, in addition to isolating and reporting passengers with suspected injuries or related symptoms.

According to a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson, the screening process was going on at the airports across the country, including Karachi. "The airport administration is ensuring the implementation of the NCOC instructions. The Border Health Services has established an isolation room for suspected travellers. In case of symptoms, the sample is sent for lab test," he added.

There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, in DR Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023. This year alone, 13 countries have reported mpox cases, with 517 deaths and over 17,000 cases in DR Congo alone.