PESHAWAR: Health authorities have confirmed first case of mpox virus in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, officials said on Friday.
The mpox virus is primarily found in Central and West Africa, where it is transmitted from animals, such as rodents and primates, to humans. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with body fluids, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials like bedding. The disease is characterized by fever, swollen lymph nodes and a distinctive rash.
The viral infection was detected in a patient in the Mardan district of the northwestern Pakistani province, according to KP Public Health Director Dr. Irshad Roghani. The patient, who returned to Pakistan from a Gulf country last week, has been quarantined at home.
“First case of Monkeypox has been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that we have confirmed through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test,” Dr. Roghani told Arab News. “It has been sent to NIH (National Institute of Health) Islamabad for genetic sequencing.”
The provincial health department is ensuring all precautions and preventive measures against the virus, according to the official. Rapid response teams have been constituted who will respond to such cases at the district level and any suspected patient will be isolated and managed further.
Global health officials on Thursday confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden and linked it to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease a global public health emergency.
On Wednesday, the WHO declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of alert, after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries.
There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023.
Health authorities confirm first case of mpox virus in Pakistan’s northwest
https://arab.news/n4qag
Health authorities confirm first case of mpox virus in Pakistan’s northwest
- The viral infection has been detected in the patient on arrival from a Gulf country, official says
- Pakistan puts airports on alert after WHO describes mpox outbreak in Africa as global emergency
Pakistan deputy PM directs authorities to monitor food prices ahead of Ramadan
- Prices of essential food items surge during holy month of Ramadan due to hoarding, profiteering by traders
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar directs authorities to prevent artificial price hikes, exploitation of consumers in Ramadan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday directed authorities to monitor prices of essential food items ahead of Ramadan to prevent artificial price hikes and consumers from getting exploited, his office said.
Pakistani increasingly shop for essential food items during the holy month of Ramadan, as millions across the country fast from dawn till sunset. Prices of essential food items surge during the holy month every year as traders often indulge in hoarding and profiteering.
Dar chaired a meeting to review the availability and prices of essential commodities across the country on Tuesday, his office said.
“DPM/FM [foreign minister] directed federal & provincial authorities to continue close monitoring, particularly in view of the approaching month of Ramazan, to prevent any artificial price hike or exploitation of consumers by unscrupulous elements,” Dar’s office said in a statement.
A central moon sighting committee in Pakistan, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, determines when Ramadan begins. The Islamic month is expected to start this year after mid-February, around Feb. 17 or Feb. 18.
Pakistan’s government also announces subsidies for the masses during the holy month to lower the prices of essential food items.
In 2024, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government announced a Ramadan package comprising a subsidy of $26.8 million (Rs7.5 billion) to lower the prices of essential items for over 30,96,00,000 families.
