ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported its fourth case of monkeypox, as a female lab technician who arrived in the country from Saudi Arabia tested positive for the infectious disease.
The patient landed at Islamabad airport from Makkah and was diagnosed with monkeypox, according to an infectious disease expert at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
The infected individual has been transferred to the isolation ward of PIMS hospital in the federal capital. In addition, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed that a 19-year-old woman has also been diagnosed with monkeypox.
All four monkeypox cases in Pakistan are individuals who arrived from Saudi Arabia, with three patients from Islamabad and one from Karachi, as stated by the NIH.
No evidence of local transmission of monkeypox
Health officials at the Federal Ministry of Health have emphasized that there is currently no evidence of local transmission of the disease within the country. Monkeypox, caused by the monkeypox virus, is a viral illness belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus.
It presents with symptoms such as a skin rash or mucosal lesions, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, as noted by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Transmission of monkeypox to humans can occur through physical contact with an infected individual, contaminated materials, or infected animals.
Supportive care is the primary treatment for the disease, while vaccines and therapeutics developed for smallpox may be used in specific circumstances for monkeypox.
Since May 2022, a global outbreak of human monkeypox infections has been reported, affecting over 78,000 people worldwide.
