The National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad has ruled out the presence of monkeypox cases in Pakistan at the moment.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild and is endemic in parts of western and central Africa. It is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easily contained through such measures as self-isolation and hygiene.
Earlier, news was circulating on social media about the detection of two monkeypox cases in Lahore.
A spokesperson for NIH, in a statement, said the news circulating on the social media platforms regarding monkeypox cases in Pakistan is ‘fake’ and added that the situation is being strictly monitored by the health officials.
Earlier, the National Institute of Health (NIH) issued an alert regarding the spread of the disease in Pakistan.
In a statement, the health department issued a high alert to provinces and other intuitions to take timely measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease in the country.
On Monday, after over 111 cases of monkeypox were reported from the United Kingdom and America, the Sindh Health Department issued an alert for the disease saying that a rapid spread of it can be expected in Pakistan.
In the alert, symptoms of the disease have been identified as headache, muscle ache and blisters on the face and body.
The Sindh Health Department had further said that passengers flying into Pakistan from countries where cases of monkeypox have been reported should be screened upon arrival.
On Saturday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it expects to identify more cases of monkeypox surveillance for the disease is expanded to countries where it is not typically found.
