ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed to enhance the effectiveness of Monkeypox screening systems at the country’s airports, seaports, and borders.
The Prime Minister was chairing an important meeting regarding Monkeypox, in Islamabad.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz instructed the National Command and Operation Center to keep an eye on the Monkeypox situation in the country.
The Prime Minister also directed the Border Health Services to ensure thorough monitoring and stringent surveillance of the situation.
PM Shehbaz said the availability of all necessary testing equipment and kits for the disease should be ensured.
The Prime Minister directed to improve coordination with provincial governments, and the Governments of Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir to prevent the spread of the disease. He ordered to start of an effective and comprehensive awareness campaign in this regard.
The Prime Minister said he would personally take weekly briefings on Monkeypox. The forum was briefed that recently, a person in Mardan tested positive for the virus. The infected individual was residing abroad for employment and recently returned to Pakistan.
Earlier at a news conference, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said that only one case of Mpox has recently been detected in Pakistan.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said the person was tested positive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the detection led to prompt action by the authorities concerned, which isolated the family members of the affected person.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said the relevant authorities have been directed to ensure all the precautionary measures at the airports. He said the screening process has been activated at the airports. He said this virus transmits through contact and mostly fever and pain-related medicines are used by the patients. He said only in case of deterioration in the situation, anti-viral drugs are administered. He said there is no need to panic as the mortality rate is low.
The Coordinator National Health Services, however, advised those who travel from abroad to isolate themselves in the first phase if they develop any symptoms of rash, flu, fever and body ache.
