At least three patients have been diagnosed with the monkeypox virus in Pakistan, health authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed on Friday.
All patients, whose cases have been confirmed by the health department in KP, were detected with the virus following their arrival from an Arab country, the department said.
Pakistan has had cases of Mpox previously and it was not immediately clear which variant was detected in the patients.
Earlier, surveillance at the airports was tightened across Pakistan after the country confirmed its first case of monkeypox in KP’s Peshawar.
Meanwhile, the Border Health Services and provincial authorities have also been put on high alert in the wake of the case’s detection in the country’s north-western province.
Authorities have issued instructions to establish isolation wards in designated hospitals, stocking antiviral medications and ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and all healthcare facilities and points of entry.
Following the detection, additional samples have also been collected from individuals in close contact with the patient. The Health Ministry has also directed intensified monitoring at all entry points to prevent further cases from entering the country.
