Mpox fears loom over Sukkur division

HYDERABAD:

The Sukkur division, where at least seven children are feared to have died because of monkeypox, has put all three districts in the division for alert concerning any sickness bearing similarity to measles. The Commissioner Abid Saleem Qureshi also set up control rooms in Sukkur, Khairpur and Ghotki districts on Monday, also sharing helpline numbers with the people.

The commissioner's office and the local health authorities have advised the people to immediately contact the given numbers if they observe symptoms like blisters on body parts and face, lymph nodes swelling and headache and body pain in children and adults. The patients with the said symptoms will have to be immediately isolated and reported to the health authorities. The people have also been advised to maintain distance from the infected and suspected cases of measles and mpox.

The family members caring for their loved ones have also been asked to follow the safety precautions in their interactions and to wear masks and gloves during contact. The household items used by the infected people also ought to be disinfected before reuse by any non-infected family member. Seven newborns reportedly died in Khairpur district's Thari Mirwah area after developing symptoms which were typical of Mpox. The Sindh Health Department on April 2 requested Aga Khan University Lab to help diagnose blood tests of suspected mpox cases on priority. The government, however, is yet to disclose reports of the suspected patients.