On Sunday, Pakistan announced the fifth incidence of the Mpox virus, designating the Peshawar district as the virus’s growing epicentre, according to the nation’s health authority. Since August 14, when the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency due to mpox, there have been four cases reported.
According to Federal Director General of Health Dr. Shabana Saleem, Peshawar “looks to be turning into an epicentre for Mpox cases” on Sunday. “This trend is alarming, and we are doubling our efforts to prevent further spread.”
The most recent patient, a 47-year-old man, tested positive on August 29 after being isolated by the nation’s Border Health Services personnel, according to Pakistani local news station Geo News. Based on his past travel records, the patient had traveled back from the Middle East.
The Federal Director General emphasized that all of the most recent cases had a history of Gulf travel, which raised questions about the virus spreading among visitors arriving from the area. According to the article, Pakistani airports have begun enforcing screening processes as part of the authorities’ increased preventive steps to limit the Mpox virus.
We’re not going to take any chances. Saleem reaffirmed, “Effective screening programs are in place across the nation, and the government is dedicated to preserving public health.
On August 21, Thailand became the first nation in Asia to report a case of mpox. The patient from Thailand had already traveled to Africa. A wave of Mpox infections has already been reported in African nations; the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported almost 1,000 new cases last week.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund also declared on Sunday that an emergency tender for the purchase of Mpox vaccines had been released, requesting that nations obtain vaccines with the greatest number of cases of the illness. The development of Mpox vaccines has also been disclosed by the Serum Institute of India in India.
This took place a few days after the World Health Organization unveiled a global strategy for readiness and response to address the mpox outbreak that was affecting African nations. In order to interrupt the chains of transmission, the plan calls for targeted vaccinations of those who are at higher risk, such as those who have recently come into close contact with a case and healthcare professionals.
As part of precautionary steps, India has already informed ports and airports about the need to screen visitors, and Mumbai has set aside a 14-bed unit for this purpose. RT-PCR kits for Mpox testing are also being promoted by businesses like Siemens Healthineers.
On Aug. 30, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally launched the ErbaMDx Mpox RT-PCR kit of the Visakhapatnam-based Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone.
