Pakistan reports fourth monkeypox case

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday reported another case of monkeypox, originating from Saudi Arabia, taking the total infections to four, ARY News reported.

Sources told ARY News that Pakistan reported its fourth monkeypox case as another passenger who arrived in the country from Saudi Arabia tested positive for the disease.

Sources claimed that the patient, who landed at Islamabad airport from Makkah, was diagnosed with the disease.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has also confirmed the development, saying that the patient had been shifted to the isolation ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

All four monkeypox patients in Pakistan arrived from Saudi Arabia. Of them, three patients belong to Islamabad and one Karachi, the NIH added.

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially fatal disease caused by a virus that is similar to the human smallpox virus. It is transmitted from animals to humans and can be transmitted from human to human through close contact.

Read More: NIH confirms third monkeypox case in Pakistan

The disease is treated with supportive care. Vaccines and therapeutics developed for smallpox and approved for use in some countries can be used for the disease in some circumstances.

The Health Department had advised people to take measures such as washing their hands and avoiding close contact with people who are showing symptoms of the disease.