Airports on alert in Pak following detection of mpox cases in nation

Amid growing concern of an upsurge in mpox infections, the Border Health Services of Pakistan rolled out a notification to intensify surveillance and precautionary measures at all entry points, including airports, reported ARY News.

The restrictions are put into place with the intent to stop the virus from possibly entering the nation.

Authorities are instructed by the notification to tighten up on passenger screening, especially for those with questionable wounds or symptoms connected to the virus. In order to properly handle the crisis, the government has also directed that the entrance points' current systems be strengthened, according to ARY News.

The first mpox virus case has surfaced in Pakistan, according to the health ministry, which reported on Friday.

The virus's strain is still unknown.

The patient had returned from a Gulf nation. According to a spokesman for the health ministry, the verified case is currently being sequenced; the specific mpox variant the patient carried will remain unknown until the procedure is finished.

The health department in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkwa province said on Friday that one mpox case had been confirmed in the area, withdrawing a previous statement that three mpox patients had been detected there this week on arrival from the UAE, reported ARY News.

This new form of the mpox virus has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.

A case of the new variant was confirmed on Thursday in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent.

However, the World Health Organization has advised against any travel restrictions to stop the spread of mpox.