A sixth case of Mpox has been confirmed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Health Adviser Ihtesham Ali announced on Saturday.
The patient, a 35-year-old man from Kot Kashmir union council in Lakki Marwat district, tested positive after arriving in Pakistan on 28 November on flight PK-284 from Dubai, where he had worked as a driver for the past five years.
Samples were taken from the suspected patient at Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and sent to the Public Health Reference Laboratory for testing.
Dr Masoor, a surveillance officer from the Rapid Response Team under the Directorate General of Health, identified the case.
"The patient has been counselled on treatment and preventive measures, including maintaining social distance," Ihtesham Ali said. The district health officer has been informed to monitor the patient closely.
"There is currently only one active Mpox case in the province," the health adviser noted.
"This year, six Mpox cases have been reported across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, five of whom have fully recovered."
He added that the World Health Organisation has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. He urged the public to practise caution and support the implementation of social distancing measures.
In September this year, a patient who managed to bypass screening at Islamabad Airport has been confirmed to have mpox.
The disease was discovered when the patient visited a hospital in K-P.
According to sources, the 33-year-old patient traveled from a Gulf country and arrived in Pakistan via Islamabad Airport on September 7. The patient then traveled to Peshawar, staying at a hotel.
The following day, he visited a private clinic for treatment and was subsequently referred to KTH, where his condition came to light.
Samples were taken from the patient and sent to the Public Health Reference Lab, where the presence of the Mpox virus was confirmed. The patient has been quarantined at his home in Lower Dir.
It is reported that after arriving from Saudi Arabia, the patient had no contact with any relatives and only interacted with passengers on the flight.
Surveillance of the patient was being carried out under the supervision of the district health officer (DHO) in Lower Dir, and the patient's symptoms improved. His family was informed about precautions to prevent the spread of infection.
Then, K-P Health Minister Qasim Ali Shah expressed regret over the poor screening system at Islamabad Airport. He questioned how a patient with mpox could leave the country's largest airport without being screened. He raised concerns that many such patients could be traveling to different regions of the country from Islamabad Airport daily.
He also emphasised that due to strong surveillance and screening in K-P, no mpox case has gone undetected in the province.
"The federal government must take responsibility and improve its screening system."
More than 66,000 people have been screened at K-P's entry points, with five cases of Mpox confirmed out of 17 suspected cases.
In a video message, he questioned the negligence at Islamabad International Airport, where a confirmed mpox patient managed to exit the airport without undergoing proper health screening.
Shah lamented the lack of adequate surveillance at the airport. "How can the federal authorities be so negligent in the face of such a major outbreak?" he questioned.
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