In Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s health minister, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, has expressed grave concerns over the effectiveness of screening mechanisms at Islamabad airport after the province confirmed its fifth case of mpox. The latest patient, a 33-year-old laborer who arrived at the airport on September 7, was not detected during the screening process despite showing symptoms.
The minister criticized the federal authorities for what he described as inadequate monitoring at the airport, urging them to improve screening procedures to prevent further infections. He emphasized the risk posed by undetected cases, noting that the patient, who displayed symptoms such as skin lesions, fatigue, headache, and rashes, was only diagnosed a day after arriving in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This was due to the proactive measures taken by local health authorities.
The patient was quarantined at his residence in Dir district and is under surveillance by the district health officer. The KP health minister stressed that no mpox cases had gone undetected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to stringent local surveillance, unlike the situation at Islamabad airport.
The minister also highlighted that over 66,000 people had been screened at Bacha Khan International Airport, Peshawar, and the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham, with five confirmed cases out of 17 suspected ones. He urged the federal government to enhance the screening system at Islamabad airport to prevent further spread of the virus.
Dr. Irshad Roghani, KP’s public health director, confirmed that surveillance and screening efforts have been bolstered in response to the new case. He noted that close contacts of positive patients are being screened and tested to contain the disease. Isolation wards have been established at Services Hospital, with four previous mpox patients having been allowed to go home after testing negative.
