Screening of travellers for mpox virus gets under way

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday directed strict vigilance in response to the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the mpox (formerly monkeypox) outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Chairing a critical meeting on measures against the mpox virus, the prime minister instructed effective screening at all airports, seaports, and borders, and asked border health services to maintain comprehensive surveillance.

He also directed the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to remain alert, conduct daily evaluations and ensure the availability of necessary equipment and kits for mpox assessment.

The meeting was attended by PM’s Coordinator on National Health Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Federal Secretary of the National Health Nadeem Mehboob, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, chief secretaries, chief commissioner of ICT and other senior officials, the PM Office Media Wing reported.

The prime minister emphasized strengthening coordination among provincial governments, the governments of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and called for a comprehensive awareness campaign. He also suggested weekly briefings on the mpox situation.

The meeting was informed of a case in District Mardan, where a person recently returned from abroad was diagnosed with mpox. The individual has been quarantined and is reported to be out of danger. No local transmission of mpox has been detected in Pakistan. Following the WHO’s declaration on August 14, the NCOC issued a national advisory and necessary instructions.

Federal and provincial governments are launching awareness drives, while the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will oversee flights arriving from abroad. Isolation wards and beds have been allocated in major hospitals across the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad Capital Territory for potential mpox cases.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, Prime Minister’s Coordinator on National Health Services, reassured the public, saying that there was no need to panic as only one case has been detected in Pakistan. He noted that globally, out of 99,000 cases, only 200 resulted in death, with the majority recovering. The affected individual in the KP recently returned from the Gulf region, prompting isolation measures for his family. He said surveillance and screening measures have been implemented at all airports and entry points across the country to monitor potential cases. Laboratories in the provinces as well as in the federal capital designated for mpox diagnosis.

Dr. Ahmad emphasized that travellers from Africa, the United States and the Gulf countries will undergo screening. He urged people to isolate themselves if they or their family members have a travel history or symptoms of mpox and to consult qualified doctors.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an emergency meeting following the diagnosis of the first patient in KP. He stressed the need for strict monitoring to prevent the virus’s spread and directed authorities to ensure thorough surveillance and screening at all entry points. Mpox, a viral disease related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus, can spread through close contact and contaminated materials. A new variant has raised global concern due to its increased ease of transmission through routine close contact. A case of this new variant was confirmed in Sweden on Thursday, linked to an outbreak in Africa, marking its first spread outside the continent.