KARACHI: A health emergency has been declared at Karachi and other operational airports of the country after a seven-year-old boy from Karachi’s Lyari was brought to National Institute of Child Health (NICH) with monkeypox-like symptoms. The child has been admitted to the monkeypox isolation ward in the hospital.
In response, the Airport Security Force (ASF) has issued standard operating procedure (SOPs) for protection from the infection. All ASF staff will wear face masks and hand gloves during the search of passengers and their baggage. The ASF has also suspended issuance of temporary passes for entry in the airport.
The monkeypox virus is a rare disease that is similar to smallpox but less severe. It spreads through contact with an infected animal or human, and symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and a rash.
Pakistan has recently detected cases of monkeypox in individuals who recently traveled from abroad. As of April 27, 2023, Pakistan has detected three more suspected cases of monkeypox in individuals who recently traveled from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It may be recalled that on April 25, 2023, Pakistani health officials confirmed the first case of monkeypox in a Pakistani man who tested positive for the disease. Two more cases were later detected, originating from Saudi Arabia.
Sources within the NICH Karachi said that there is no travel history of the suspected patient, and the confirmation will come after the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) report. However, earlier, Sindh health minister Dr Azra Fazl Pechuho had ruled out the detection of monkeypox cases in Karachi after it emerged that three cases of monkeypox had been reported in the Sindh capital.
The minister clarified that no passenger has tested positive for monkeypox at the Jinnah International Airport (Karachi airport), and added that the airport administration is not authorized to pass the information without confirmation. Meanwhile, the Sindh health ministry is closely monitoring the situation, and isolation wards have also been established at Jinnah and Chandka hospitals.
