Directive issued to refer monkeypox suspects to govt hospitals

LAHORE:The Punjab Healthcare Commission on Thursday directed all private healthcare establishments to refer suspected cases of monkeypox to the selected public sector hospitals instead of admitting such patients.

In continuation to the directions issued earlier, the HCEs have been directed to ensure that they can identify the suspected cases of monkeypox. They have also been instructed to make sure that on the identification of such cases, they will immediately refer less than 15-year-old patients to the Children’s Hospital and above 15 years to the Lahore General Hospital.

It is pertinent to mention here that the PHC had already shared comprehensive definitions of suspected, probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox, along with the reporting mechanism, as issued by the Directorate of General Health Services Punjab. Moreover, the respective administrations of the private HCEs have also been directed to report the suspected, probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox to the district health authority concerned or on the 1033 helpline. The commission has sought strict adherence to the directions.

PMA concerned over detection of two Monkeypox cases: Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) is very much concerned over the detection of two Monkeypox cases in Pakistan. According to a press release issued by PMA (Centre) Hon. Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro here on Thursday, PMA informed that monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to but milder than smallpox symptoms. Early signs of monkeypox include flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, trunk, lymphadenopathy and chickenpox-like rashes on the hands and face. Monkeypox spreads when someone is in close contact with an infected animal and person. It is a droplet infection and enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth, as well as through shared items such as bedding or towels.

IPH assigned task to control monkeypox: The Punjab government has assigned special task to the Institute of Public Health (IPH) for prevention and control of monkeypox and training of health professionals and health education. In this connection, Dean IPH Professor Dr. Zarfashan Tahir has asked the names of focal persons from the government hospitals across the province. They will be trained on treatment, diagnosis and case management of people infected with the virus on May 2.

This was disclosed by Dean IPH Professor Dr. Zarfashan Tahir while presiding over a high-level meeting in the committee room of the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education in which the officers of both the Health Departments, PITB, Rescue 1122, representative World Health Organization and Director CDC, (DGHS) also participated. Prof. Zarfashan Tahir told the participants of the meeting that in the light of the orders of the provincial government, the institute will prepare training modules on surveillance, health education, monitoring and diagnosis of monkeypox and establish a disease monitoring center in IPH within a week.