Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said on Friday that Pakistan has ordered testing kits for to diagnose monkeypox and they will reach soon.
After the reconstitution of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) under the direction of the prime minister, an alert regarding monkeypox was also issued to the health authorities, and since then screening arrangements were made at airports on Monday to detect suspected cases.
The NCOC was set up in March 2020 under the headship of the former minister for special initiatives Asad Umar. However, it was formally shut down on March 3 when the coronavirus epidemic subsided.
NCOC will have representation of the provinces as well as the National Disaster Management Authority.
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According to the NIH, no case of monkeypox has been reported in Pakistan, though, it has reportedly spread to many non-endemic countries including Canada the UK, and Spain.
According to a notification issued, all ministries and concerned directorates will remain devoted in NCOC operations and functions as per requirement. The NCOC will be chaired by the federal minister for national health services.
In the meantime, the NIH has issued an alert with regard to the monkeypox epidemic in non-endemic countries to health authorities and professionals at all levels.
As per the specialists, monkeypox spreads differently compared to Covid-19, so the NIH has asked people to remain aware of reliable sources on the extent of the plague in their community (if any), indications and prevention.
Up till now, no such case has been detected in Pakistan, however, steps have been initiated to stop its arrival, the NIH reported.
NIH further said that arrangements have been made at all airports and screening is being carried out to detect infected cases.
As the disease spreads through close contact, the response should emphasize the infected cases and their close contacts, the World Health Organization mentioned.
