PESHAWAR
A meeting of the Provincial Outbreak Committee was held under the chairmanship of Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah.
DG Health Dr. Muhammad Saleem, Additional Director General Administration Dr. Siraj, Bardar Health Services Bacha Khan International Airport Dr. Farizuddin, Chief HSRU Dr. Iftikhar Khalil, Director Public Health Dr. Irshad Roghani, Director EPI Dr. Arif, MS Police Services Hospital Dr. Niaz, World Health Organization KP representative Dr. Babar, and other concerned officials attended.
Director Public Health Dr. Irshad Roghani briefed the committee on the current status, management, and case response of M-pox.
He informed the meeting that the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern for M-pox on August 14.
The disease is transmitted from animals to humans. The first case of M-pox was reported in 1970 from the Congo. It broke out in Central and West Africa before 2022. So far, 3527 cases have been reported in Isha including China and Vietnam. M-pox is spread by contact with water from an infected person’s cough, sneeze, or sores, or by unprotected sex.
The Health Minister appealed to the people on this occasion to ensure social distancing and be careful in social interactions. Support the health department in media M-pox awareness so that people can be warned. Rapid response teams have been formed, isolation wards are being established in the districts. The present patient had an accident in Saudi Arabia on August 3. On August 10, the patient came to Pakistan and went to Khyber Teaching Hospital OPD for treatment of a broken leg. After observing the skin condition and symptoms at the hospital, they isolated the patient and the samples were sent to the Public Health Reference Laboratory.
Giving the details of the current case, he said that genetic sequencing revealed that the current case is a case of clade 2B. This virus belongs to West Africa. The travel history of the three cases so far is from Saudi Arabia. A Provincial Control Room has been established in Directorate General Health Services. A Rapid Response Team has been formed in the Public Health Section. Control rooms managed by District Outbreak Committees are also being set up in the districts.
Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah was informed that advisories, guidelines, and case management related instructions are being issued from time to time to all the medical staff of the province. Screening areas have been allocated and staffed at Bacha Khan International Airport and Torkham border. Isolation wards are being established in DHQ at the district level, while private hospitals have been informed through the Healthcare Commission.
The Health Minister was also informed that in response to the current case, an isolation ward was also established in MTI Mardan. At Bacha Khan International Airport, the process of screening passengers after disembarking from Jahar is ongoing. After disembarking from the plane, the passengers’ temperature and symptoms of M-pox are checked. So far, 10,000 passengers from 83 flights have been screened at the airport. More than five thousand passengers coming from the Torkham border have been screened.
In the meeting, district formations and medical officers were informed about the diagnosis of M-pox suspects. Discussion about case definition and diagnosis for medical staff working in OPD in hospitals took place. The Health Minister issued instructions for the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System to remain active. The committee was briefed on the method of contact tracing of the affected patients.
