6th case of Monkeypox detected in Pak's Punjab
Sep 17, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], September 17 : Pakistan's National Institute of Health on Tuesday said that they received technical report of sixth Monkeypox case, ARY News reported, quoting its sources.
The report was compiled by Border Health Services and it stated that a 44-year-old man, Farooq, a resident of Punjab's Gujrat, reached Pakistan from Riyadh on September 14.
Farooq was isolated over suspected signs of monkeypox after screening. After the test result, monkeypox virus was confirmed, while testing of his family was underway, ARY News cited the sources within NIH.
Earlier, authorities at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport reported another suspected case of monkeypox on Saturday, ARY News reported.
According to the details, a traveller who arrived on a PIA flight from Jeddah had symptoms that resembled monkeypox.
The traveller was taken away to a government-run isolation ward in Sindh for additional assessment and care.
Earlier this week, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan reported a fifth case of monkeypox.
The 33-year-old victim was a resident of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ARY News reported, citing an official.
The official stated that upon the citizen's September 7 return to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia, the Khyber Teaching Hospital confirmed that he had monkeypox.
According to Qasim Ali Shah, the patient has been placed in isolation at his Lower Dir home.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) sent an urgent alert about an unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox that was hitting several countries amid the growing number of cases of the Mpox virus.
Monkeypox is a viral disease caused by the Mpox virus. Although the natural reservoir of the virus remains unidentified, African rodents and non-human primates (such as monkeys) are suspected to harbor the virus and transmit it to humans, as per ARY News.
The disease typically appears with a rash 1 to 3 days following the onset of fever, starting on the face and then spreading to other areas of the body. The rash progresses through several stages: macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs.
Additional symptoms may include headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. The incubation period generally ranges from 7 to 14 days but can vary between 5 and 21 days. The illness usually lasts between 2 and 4 weeks.
