ISLAMABAD: A 19-year-old woman was tested positive for monkeypox in Islamabad on Saturday.

She had arrived from Saudi Arabia and admitted to the isolation ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) after being referred by the authorities at the Islamabad airport, according to Pims sources.

“The sample was taken/collected on Saturday morning and sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH). In the evening, the institute confirmed that it was a positive case.

“The patient belongs to Gujranwala and is the first female in Pakistan who has been infected with mpox. Earlier, two male [patients] tested positive in Islamabad and another male patient detected in Karachi,” the sources added.

When contacted, Pims spokesperson Dr Haider Abbasi confirmed that the 19-year-old female, who was deported from Saudi Arabia, has been confirmed with virus.

“Patient is in isolation ward and in stable condition. She will be discharged once she will be declared negative for the disease. Moreover, her contact persons are being identified and they will also be tested and kept in isolation till they are confirmed negative,” he added.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), Sajid Shah, said the ministry had already directed to strictly monitor entry points of Pakistan to ensure that every suspect would be identified. “There is no evidence of local transmission of the disease and people should not get panicked at all,” he said.

The first case had cleared the immigration without getting spotted with symptoms. The man later visited Pims where he was shifted to the isolation ward. He tested positive and another passenger on the same flight quarantined himself at home after testing positive.

A control room has already been set up at the National Command and Operation Centre to tackle mpox spread in the country.

Mpox — which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions — was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation in July 2022.

The organisation maintained its alert in November. In November, the organisation named the disease mpox to replace the older term monkeypox, citing concerns of stigma and racism associated with the name.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.
Ceasefire, finally
Updated 26 Mar, 2024

Ceasefire, finally

Palestinian lives matter, and a generation of orphaned Gazan children will be looking to the world community to secure justice for them.
Afghan return
26 Mar, 2024

Afghan return

FOLLOWING a controversial first repatriation phase involving ‘illegal’ Afghan refugees last November, the...
Planes and plans
26 Mar, 2024

Planes and plans

FOR the past many years, PIA has been getting little by way of good press, mostly on account of internal...