Pakistan reports first case of Monkeypox virus

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Apr 2023 12:08
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Pakistan's Ministry of Health announces the first case of Monkeypox in the country.

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. (AP)

Pakistan's Healthy Ministry announced "health regulations" on Tuesday at all airports to stop monkeypox from spreading after Pakistan reported the first case of the virus in the nation.

The National Health Services Department in the nation's capital, Islamabad, confirmed the case involving the adult male patient on Monday, according to a ministry spokesperson.

However, a source in the Health Ministry told Anadolu that a man who was deported from Saudi Arabia brought the infection to Pakistan, despite the fact that the statement gave no additional information about the patient.

It added that airport authorities across the nation have been given instructions to strictly implement regulations to contain the virus. The ministry's Border and Health Services unit was said to be closely monitoring the situation.

Humans can catch Monkeypox by coming into close contact with an animal or person who has the disease, as well as by coming into contact with contaminated objects. According to the World Health Organization, patients frequently experience symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, and muscle aches before a skin rash appears.

Since January 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has documented over 86,000 viral disease cases worldwide. It is worth mentioning that 119 people passed away from the virus during the same time frame.

The term "monkeypox" was changed to "mpox" by the World Health Organization last year because it was "racist and stigmatizing language." For a year, both names will be used interchangeably as the term "monkeypox" is phased out, it was added.