ISLAMABAD: The government has issued special instructions to all national and provincial health authorities to remain on high alert for any suspected case of Monkeypox.
According to an official of the Ministry of National Health Services, the situation is being closely monitored by the health authorities. The official said the information circulating on social media about the Monkeypox case in Pakistan is incorrect.
The officials said as per reports of the National Institute of Health, no case of Monkeypox has yet been diagnosed in Pakistan so far.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reported three new cases of monkeypox. The country’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) urged all community members to follow appropriate preventive measures and take all precautions while travelling and to stay safer in large crowds and avoid risky behaviours.
“Monkeypox is a viral disease, but usually a self-limited one, if compared to Covid-19. It’s mostly transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, including bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets, or with material contaminated with the virus. It can also be passed to the baby in the womb,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It also reassured all community members that the UAE health authorities are taking all necessary measures, including investigation, examination of contacts, and monitoring their health.
The UAE reported its first monkeypox case on May 24. The infection was identified in a 29-year-old visitor from West Africa.
Moderate risk
The World Health Organization said that monkeypox constitutes a “moderate risk” to overall public health at global level after cases were reported in countries where the disease is not typically found.
“The public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe disease such as young children and immunosuppressed persons,” WHO said.
As of May 26, a total of 257 confirmed cases and 120 suspected cases have been reported from 23 member states that are not endemic for the virus, the health agency said in a statement. There has been no reported fatalities so far.
WHO also said that the sudden appearance of monkeypox at once in several non-endemic countries suggests undetected transmission for some time and recent amplifying events.
The agency added that it expects more cases to be reported as surveillance in endemic and non-endemic countries expands. Most of the cases reported so far have been detected in the UK, Spain and Portugal.
