Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Ihtesham Ali health adviser, confirmed another case of Monkeypox (MPOX) in the province, Express News reported.
According to him, this marks the first local case of mpox in KP. Previously, all reported cases had been identified among people returning from trips abroad.
The advisor also said that the husband of the woman affected recently returned from a Gulf country. Initially, he did not show any symptoms, but later, he was also tested positive for MPOX.
According to the director of public health, Dr. Fazal Majeed, the patient was admitted to the hospital on February 18, after having known fever and body pain.
On February 19, rashes and moles appeared on his body and inside his mouth, which prompted the public health coordinator, Dr. Muhammad Amir Khan, to report the case.
On February 20, an investigation team collected the patient’s samples and sent them to the Public Health Reference Laboratory of the Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, where the diagnosis was confirmed on February 21.
Providing details on the patient’s husband, Dr. Majeed said he had shown no symptoms when he returned to Pakistan. However, on February 5, he developed a fever and bodies’ ailments, followed by the appearance of rashes on February 6. Despite this, he chose to stay at home for 10 to 15 days instead of looking for medical care.
On February 22, a team carried out an examination of the patient’s medical history, screened family members and close contacts, and asked everyone, including her husband, to undergo home insulation.
Dr. Majeed urged the public to remain vigilant about the symptoms of Monkeypox and to consult immediate medical care in the nearest health establishment if suspicious symptoms appear.
