hree people, including two in Islamabad and one in Karachi, who came from Saudi Arabia, have so far tested positive for m-pox (monkey-pox) during the last two weeks. All three have recovered and there is no evidence of local transmission of the highly contagious disease.

“Although the World Health Organisation has declared a public health emergency of international concern following the multi-country outbreak of pox since July last year, Pakistan has remained largely safe from the highly contagious disease since an atypical outbreak of the disease was reported in the European region in May 2022. It is perhaps due to our strict surveillance and tight border controls at points of entry,” an official of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination says.

So far, more than 87,000 cases of m-pox and 140 deaths due to the infectious disease have been reported to World Health Organisation (WHO) from 111 countries since May 2022, including Pakistan. It is likely that International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkey-pox will soon declare the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) ‘over.’

According to the data available with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Islamabad, so far, 72 suspected cases have been reported in Pakistan this year, including 29 from Islamabad, 25 from Sindh, 10 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five from Balochistan and three from the Punjab. Only three have tested positive. All three came from Saudi Arabia. The virus has been effectively contained.

Following the detection of m-pox cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) promised to assist Pakistan as per its requirement to contain the monkey-pox virus. It said it was monitoring the spread of the virus alongside the government as the situation continued to evolve. The WHO officials in Pakistan said they had promised assistance to the government, especially in the laboratory testing process, point-of-entry screening and provision of testing kits.

Health officials say there has been no evidence of local transmission of monkey-pox in Pakistan so far. The risk of international spread from the country also remains low. The WHO has not recommended any restrictions on trade based on currently available information regarding monkey pox outbreaks.

They say governments have put health authorities on high alert and imposed certain SOPs to ensure that the virus is detected and does not spread in the country.

“We have also reactivated Covid-19 protocols at all entry points, including international airports, to prevent the entry of people carrying the virus into the country. Special attention is being paid to the screening of hundreds of Pakistanis deported from various countries on a monthly basis,” an NHS official tells The News on Sunday. 

“We have also reactivated Covid-19 protocols at all entry points, including international airports, to prevent the entry of people carrying the pox virus into the country. Special attention is being paid to the screening of hundreds of Pakistanis deported from various countries on a monthly basis,” the NHS official tells The News on Sunday. He says there is no need to worry.

On the other hand, authorities have also requested the WHO to provide vaccine for the prevention of monkey-pox (Mpox), especially to vaccinate healthcare providers and infectious diseases experts who would be on the frontline to deal with the confirmed and suspected cases of the infectious disease.

As per the WHO and US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, persons who work in settings where they may be exposed to m-pox or orthopox-virus in a laboratory are part of an orthopox-virus and healthcare worker response team need to be vaccinated with a two-dose vaccine.

“At the moment, the m-pox vaccine is not available in Pakistan. We did not have any cases till a couple of weeks ago, but now that we have detected some cases, it is important that we have the vaccine to immunise vulnerable people and experts”, the NHS official adds.

Health officials in Sindh say they have established Rapid Response Teams on district level to keep an eye on suspected cases of m-pox and to send test samples to the NIH-Islamabad and isolating the suspected and confirmed patients.

According to the WHO, m-pox is an infectious disease caused by the monkey-pox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. “Since January 2022, cases of monkey-pox have been reported to the WHO from 110 member states across all six WHO regions. As of April 25, a total of 87,113 laboratory-confirmed cases and 140 deaths have been reported to the WHO,” the official says.

Following the detection of two m-pox cases, airports across the country have been put on high alert. Airlines have been advised to report all suspected cases to the border health services department at the airports. The provincial health departments have started establishing isolation wards at major facilities in provincial capitals to admit suspected and confirmed cases. Training of healthcare officials to deal with infectious diseases has also begun.

The writer is an investigative reporter, currently covering health, science, environment and water issues for The News International