Monkeypox alert: 3 cases detected at Karachi Airport

According to sources, the Sindh health department’s surveillance team executed an operation at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, where three passengers arriving from Libya were found to have contracted monkeypox.

According to the Director General of Health, all three passengers were Pakistani citizens within the age range of 30 to 45. The infected passengers have been admitted to the infectious disease hospital, the sources reported.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed a case of monkeypox virus in Pakistan.

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NIH officials stated that the individual diagnosed with the monkeypox virus was currently receiving treatment at Rawalpindi Hospital.

The NIH is actively investigating the virus’s potential spread, although the likelihood of further transmission remains low.

What is MonkeyPox?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mpox (monkeypox) is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Two different clades exist: clade I and clade II.

Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. It can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.

However, laboratory confirmation of mpox is done by testing skin lesion material by PCR and it is treated with supportive care. Vaccines and therapeutics developed for smallpox and approved for use in some countries can be used for mpox in some circumstances.

Mpox can be prevented by avoiding physical contact with someone who has mpox. Vaccination can help prevent infection for people at risk.