Authorities urge speedy screening of passengers after Karachi's first monkeypox case

KARACHI: After surfacing of the first monkeypox (Mpox) case in Karachi, health authorities have taken immediate measures, asking for expediting the screening process of incoming and outgoing passengers in the country.

The director general of Sindh Health Department has instructed the Border Health Services Pakistan to expedite the screening process for incoming and outgoing passengers, as per a notification.

According to the statement issued by the DG Health, all passengers are to be closely monitored, and any individual showing symptoms of monkeypox should be swiftly isolated.

The health department has also directed all hospitals to complete the necessary arrangements for the treatment and management of monkeypox patients.

It was not only Karachi but Sindh’s first monkeypox case as well and Pakistan’s second locally transmitted infection after Peshawar, as a 29-year-old patient from Malir tested positive last week despite having no recent travel history, raising concerns about the virus’s spread within the country, The News reported on Sunday.

The patient is currently in isolation at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), health authorities confirmed on Friday.

Officials in the Sindh health department revealed that while the patient himself did not travel abroad, his wife, who worked as a beautician in a Gulf country, had recently returned from Saudi Arabia.

“When the patient developed symptoms, he sought medical attention, and healthcare providers suspected mpox. His samples were sent to the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), which confirmed the infection,” said a senior health official.

In response, the Sindh health authorities have begun tracing the wife and children of the patient to test their samples and isolate them if necessary. “Our immediate priority is to identify any close contacts who may have contracted the virus and prevent further transmission,” the official added.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a virus that spreads from wild animals, such as rats and primates, to humans in exceptional cases. The disease is endemic in Central and West Africa, hence, the majority of human cases have occurred there.

Scientists discovered the virus in 1958 after two outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease in laboratory monkeys — hence, the term monkeypox. In 1970, a nine-year-old child in a remote section of Congo became the first reported human infection.

Symptoms and treatment

Monkeypox is a component of the same viral family as smallpox, although its symptoms are less severe.

The majority of patients exhibit simply fever, body pains, chills, and exhaustion. People with severe illnesses may develop rashes and sores on the face and hands that can spread to other areas of the body.

The quarantine period lasts between approximately five days and three weeks. The majority of people recover within two to four weeks without hospitalisation.

Up to one in ten persons can die from monkeypox, and the disease is believed to be especially severe in young people.

Vaccines against smallpox that have been found to be effective against monkeypox are commonly administered to those exposed to the virus. Additionally, antiviral medicines are being developed.

Thursday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control suggested isolating all suspected cases and offering the smallpox vaccine to high-risk contacts.