Summary:
- Pakistan has implemented new airport safety measures after a monkeypox case was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Airlines are required to provide masks and ensure sanitization for staff and passengers.
- The national health ministry is tracing contacts and boosting airport surveillance in response to the outbreak.
In response to a reported case of monkeypox in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has introduced precautionary measures at airports. The new strain of monkeypox, which appears to spread more easily through close contact, has heightened global concerns. The first case of this variant was identified in Sweden on August 15 and linked to an ongoing outbreak in Africa.
The PCAA has instructed airlines to provide masks to passengers and ensure that both airline staff and ground handling personnel wear masks. The authority has also mandated that hands be sanitized regularly, and luggage be disinfected to prevent the spread of the virus. Passengers showing symptoms of monkeypox are to be isolated immediately.
The confirmed case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa involved a man who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia. Health officials in Mardan district initially lost track of the patient after he left Peshawar for his home in Mardan, then reportedly moved to another district, Dir. Despite efforts by local health departments, the patient remains untraceable.
The national health ministry has ramped up contact tracing and is increasing airport surveillance with additional health personnel. Although the exact strain of the virus is not yet confirmed, officials are awaiting results from sample sequencing to determine the variant. Federal Ministry of Health spokesperson Sajid Shah emphasized that the results will clarify the specific strain involved in this outbreak.
