The National Institute of Health has issued an alert over the increasing number of monkeypox cases in Pakistan.
The National Institute of Health has directed all provinces to ensure immediate and complete reporting and has made it mandatory to provide timely details of monkeypox cases.
According to the Ministry of Health, 57 monkeypox cases and one death have been confirmed in Pakistan. Punjab has reported 23 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 22 cases along with one death, Islamabad 6 cases, Sindh 3 cases, Azad Kashmir 2 cases and Balochistan one case, while no monkeypox case has been reported from Gilgit Baltistan.
According to the Ministry of Health document, patient data has been sought under International Health Regulations, and provinces have also been instructed to report contact tracing and hospital data.
The document states that the National Institute of Health has made genetic sequencing of the monkeypox virus mandatory, saying that sequencing will help identify the strain and spread of the virus. It warned that lack of provincial cooperation could affect national surveillance and international credibility.
