ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has bolstered health security measures at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, one of the busiest in the country, to prevent the spread of the mpox virus, an official statement said on Friday, following the confirmation of the fifth case of the disease earlier this week.
Mpox, a viral disease causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, has prompted global concern, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring it a public health emergency on August 14. A new strain of the virus, which first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has since spread to several countries, leading to increased monitoring and preventive measures worldwide.
Pakistani health authorities have also maintained they have implemented stringent screening protocols at airports and border entry points to prevent the spread of the disease. However, local media reported this week the latest mpox case had gone undetected at Islamabad airport, and the patient on an international flight had continued to travel to the nearby province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The number of Border Health Services staff at Jinnah International has been increased,” the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), headquartered in Karachi, announced in its statement. “Two doctors will now be on duty instead of one.”
It said the number of medical assistants had also been increased from five, and at least eight to ten of them will be deployed for duty at the airport.
“During August, 146,722 passengers were screened at Jinnah International,” the statement added. “Since the monitoring began, only one passenger was found to be a suspect on August 31.”
The PAA informed that disinfectant spraying is carried out two to three times in the immigration and lounge areas after every international flight.
It added that additional cabins have also been installed for the screening and isolation of suspected passengers.
“Awareness stands have been placed in the international arrivals walkway area at Jinnah International,” the statement said, adding that additional mpox awareness sessions have also been introduced at the airport’s resource center.
Speaking to Arab News earlier this week, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s health ministry, Sajid Hussain Shah, said the country’s Border Health Services were fully equipped to screen mpox patients.
“Four of five mpox cases were detected by health officials after screening suspects at different airports,” he said, adding it usually takes ten to twelve days to develop symptoms, making it possible for a patient to occasionally slip through the scanning process and develop symptoms later.
“Our Border Health Services officials have been following WHO guidelines at all airports and borders to screen and scan passengers for the disease,” he added.
