According to the latest reports, the first case of Monkeypox in Pakistan has been reported. A man who arrived from Saudi Arabia on 17th April 2023 is diagnosed with Monkeypox.
The reports suggested that the man already had the symptoms of Monkeypox on arrival and his samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. The NIH has confirmed that the person is diagnosed with Monkeypox infection. The person, 25 years old, diagnosed with Monkeypox in Pakistan is a resident of the Twin Cities and his relatives are now also being screened for the infection.
According to the health ministry official the patient has been quarantined in a hospital in the capital and contact tracing has begun.
After confirmation of the first case of Monkeypox in Pakistan, the nation has been put on high alert.
Earlier the World Health Organization has also warned about the rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak comprised a global health emergency.
The reports of a large number of Monkeypox cases in the United Kingdom in May 2022 indicated that the epidemic had moved into Europe.
What is Monkeypox and its Origin?
Monkeypox, first identified in monkeys, the virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person. The transmittable virus is widespread in Central and West Africa, where the majority of cases have been reported last year. The virus was first discovered in 1958 after an epidemic of “pox-like” infection in laboratory monkeys, which grants it the name Monkeypox.
This virus is also transmittable from other animals like rats, primates (including the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and haplorhines, etc).
Monkeypox Symptoms and Treatment
The Monkey symptoms include fever, body pains, chills, and fatigue, while people with severe sickness can develop rashes and pus-filled skin lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. The disease is a part of the same viral family as smallpox.
Monekypox is treated with supportive care. Vaccines and therapeutics developed for smallpox are approved for use in some countries for Monkeypox treatment in some circumstances.
The quarantine period for Monkeypox typically lasts between five days and three weeks, whereas the majority of people recover within two to four weeks without hospitalization.
Monkeypox can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, it is essential to take care of who is infected and should be quarantined.
Monkeypox is a scarce disease, and the present worldwide outbreak that started in May 2022 has affected nearly 78,000 people. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been observing the situation and providing guidance to affected countries.
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