47-year-old man from AJK is under observation at PIMS for suspected monkeypox symptoms
ISLAMABAD: A suspected case of monkeypox (mpox) has been reported at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, according to hospital officials on Monday. The patient, a 47-year-old resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), recently returned to Pakistan from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Nasim Akhtar, the hospital’s focal person, confirmed that the patient exhibited symptoms consistent with monkeypox and has been isolated in a special ward designated for such cases at PIMS.
This suspected case adds to growing concerns, as Pakistan had previously reported three confirmed monkeypox infections and another suspected case awaiting confirmation. The health authorities are closely monitoring the situation to prevent any potential spread of the virus. Meanwhile, a concerning development has emerged from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the first confirmed monkeypox patient in the province has reportedly gone missing from his home in Mardan. The individual, who had also returned from Saudi Arabia, was diagnosed with monkeypox in Peshawar.
However, when a medical team visited his residence to provide necessary guidelines and assistance, they found the house locked. Further inquiries with the District Health Officer (DHO) of the patient’s native area in Dir revealed that the patient was not present there either, raising alarm about his whereabouts. This situation is occurring against the backdrop of a growing global outbreak of monkeypox, with a new strain of the virus recently detected in Sweden. Global health officials have linked this strain to the ongoing outbreak in Africa, marking the first instance of its spread outside the continent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded its highest level of alert following the outbreak in Africa, particularly after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to neighboring countries. Since the beginning of the current outbreak in January 2023, there have been 27,000 reported cases and more than 1,100 deaths, primarily among children, in Congo.
Monkeypox, caused by the monkeypox virus, typically leads to flu-like symptoms followed by the appearance of pus-filled lesions on the skin. While the disease is generally mild, it can be fatal, especially for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those living with HIV. The recent developments in Pakistan and globally highlight the urgent need for vigilance and effective public health measures to contain the spread of this virus.
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