Pakistan is requesting assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat monkeypox (mpox) after two individuals, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, were found to be infected with the rare viral disease.
The country’s National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS, R&C) officials have decided to request a sizeable quantity of mpox vaccine to immunize healthcare providers and infectious disease experts who would be on the frontline to deal with confirmed and suspected cases of the disease.
The issue of mpox cases was discussed at a National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting, where isolation wards and filter clinics were established in major cities of the country including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar.
At a National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting held on Wednesday to discuss the situation, it was decided that a formal request would be made to the WHO for a sizeable quantity of vaccine. The NCOC also established isolation wards and filter clinics in major cities across Pakistan to deal with any suspected cases of the disease.
The NHS, R&C official said that the issue of mpox cases was discussed in detail at the NCOC meeting, where it was decided that a formal request would be made to the WHO for vaccine provision for healthcare providers and frontline workers.
According to WHO and US CDC guidelines, healthcare workers who work in settings where they may be exposed to the virus need to be vaccinated with the two-dose vaccine. However, the mpox vaccine is not currently available in Pakistan.
In addition to this, officials in Sindh and other provinces have established rapid response teams on district levels to keep an eye on suspected cases of the disease and send samples of suspected patients to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad for testing.
Since January 2022, cases of mpox have been reported to WHO from 110 member states across all 6 WHO regions, with a total of 87,113 laboratory-confirmed cases and 130 deaths reported as of April 25, 2023.
The first case of mpox in Pakistan was reported on April 17, 2023, when a person who had been deported from Saudi Arabia for overstaying landed in Islamabad with symptoms such as high-grade fever, rashes, headache, muscle aches, and sore throat.
