Monkeypox scare in Pakistan

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Two cases of the Monkeypox virus have been reported in Pakistan on Wednesday.

The officials of the Federal Ministry of Health said the person who came to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia on April 17 had symptoms of Monkeypox. The officials of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences sent the samples of the affected person to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.

The National Institute of Health confirmed the first case of Monkeypox in the country yesterday [Tuesday]. The affected person is a resident of Rawalpindi.

According to an official of the Health Ministry, the health authorities have started contract tracing.

The official added that the person’s relatives were being screened and asked to remain in quarantine to ensure the virus does not spread.

He said that airports across the country have been put on high alert after the detection of the virus besides taking other preventive measures.

According to health experts, Monkeypox is a virus that spreads from animals, including rats and primates, to humans in exceptional cases.

The infectious disease is endemic in Central and West Africa, where the majority of cases have occurred.

The virus was first discovered in 1958 after the outbreak of “pox-like” disease in laboratory monkeys, which gives it the name Monkeypox.

The symptoms of Monkeypox included fever, body pains, chills, and exhaustion, while people with severe illness can develop rashes and sores on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.

The disease is a component of the same viral family as smallpox.

The quarantine period of the virus usually lasts between five days and three weeks, while majority of people recover within two to four weeks without hospitalization. However, one in ten persons can die from Monkeypox, and the disease is said to be severe in young people.