Tribunnews Reporter, Fitri Wulandari
TRIBUNNEWS.COM, ISLAMABAD – After obtaining the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test kit for monkey pox Monkeypox, the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad also collected samples from 20 suspected infected patients.
However, none of them have tested positive for the virus.
The agency added that so far no suspected cases of Monkeypox have been reported from the Karachi and Lahore regions.
“So far 20 suspected samples have been tested for viral infection monkey pox at NIH Islamabad, but all turned out to be negative. Most of the cases are measles and chickenpox,” said an official from the country’s Federal Ministry of National Health Service (NHS).
Quoted from The News page, Monday (20/6/2022), the World Health Organization (WHO) said that from January 1 to June 15 2022, a total of 2,103 confirmed cases of Monkeypox and one death from the disease had been reported from its 42 member countries that spread over 5 WHO regions, namely America, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific.
Also read: WHO Interim Guidance on Vaccines and Immunizations for Monkeypox
According to the agency, the Monkeypox outbreak continues to be experienced by men who have sex with the same sex.
Meanwhile, the NHS office Pakistan said that most of the suspected cases of Monkeypox in the country were children who had been infected with measles and chickenpox.
Monkeypox symptoms are said to be similar to measles and chicken pox, but Monkeypox is spread through contact with the skin so it is unlikely to spread like other infectious diseases.
Hospitals and laboratories in Karachi, including the public health laboratory at Dow University’s Ojha Center, Civil Hospital and Aga Khan University Hospital have confirmed that they did not use the 100 PCR test kits that the WHO gave them for Monkeypox testing last month.
Also read: WHO Finalizes Guidelines on Procedures for Handling Monkeypox Patients
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