The Ministry of Health Services has confirmed the first case of monkeypox in Islamabad and said that recommendations have been sent out across Pakistan to prevent the spread of the disease.

The virus was detected in a man who recently reached Islamabad after being deported from Saudi Arabia. A statement from the ministry said that the man had reached Pakistan on April 17 and had shown symptoms of monkeypox. The man is a resident of the twin cities.

The minsitry has now placed protocols in place that will send samples from people suspected of being infected by monkeybox to the National Institute of Health.

The ministry has said that it is keeping track of the situation and has issued recommendations so that all airports keep screening mechanisms in place.

Sindh issues high alert

Right after the ministry of health announced the case, Sindh’s health department issued a high alert to all hospitals in the province.

Hospitals have been told to create isolation groups consisting of 5-10 beds to deal with any outbreak.

What is monkeypox

The monkeypox virus, or mpox as it is called by the World Health Organisation, was discovered in 1958. A global outbreak of the virus took place in 2022-2023, so it makes sense for authorities in Pakistan to sound the alarm.

The disease is characterised by rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever although most people make a full recovery. The rashes can turn into blisters or lesions.

• rash
• fever
• sore throat
• headache
• muscle aches
• back pain
• low energy
• swollen lymph nodes

The disease is conatgious and can be passed to others and a person is only declared healed when the rashes or blisters have completely healed and a new layer of skin has formed.

This information was taken from the World Health Organisation’s Website. You can read more here.