Peshawar (Web Desk/Agencies): Three confirmed cases of monkeypox disease have been reported yet in Khyber Pakhtukhwa (KP) province and all the patients have returned from Gulf countries, said Director Public Health Dr Irshad Ahmad Roghani.
In a press statement issued on Friday, Dr Irshad said the Health Department is establishing isolation wards for Mpox patients while COVID teams have been made functional at their stations of duty.
“Contact tracing of suspected patients is also in progress to detect further spread of the disease,” he added.
World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared a public health emergency of international concern, to prevent the spread of a new variant of Mpox viral virus.
Meanwhile, he added, the Health Department of KP is fully focusing on surveillance and prevention of Mpox disease.
It merits an insertion here that Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, is a rare zoonotic disease similar to smallpox caused by a virus.
According to Global Perspective Human Stories of United Nations News, it is found mostly in areas of Africa but has been seen in other regions of the world. It causes flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills, and a rash that can take weeks to clear. There’s no proven treatment for Mpox, but it usually goes away on its own.
In between three and six percent of cases reported in countries where it is endemic, it can lead to medical complications and even death.
Newborn babies, children, and people with immune system deficiencies may be at risk of more severe symptoms and death from the disease.
