Pakistan’s last two monkeypox patients recover completely

ISLAMABAD: Health officials on Monday confirmed that the last two monkeypox cases reported in Pakistan have recovered from the virus, ARY News reported, citing sources.

Sources within the Ministry of Health told ARY News that the patients admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have recovered from the disease after testing negative.

Sources claimed that both patients – arrived from Saudi Arabia – have also been discharged from the hospital.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the health ministry shared that, so far, Pakistan has registered five monkeypox cases and all of them have recovered. The country reported its first two cases of monkeypox in people who arrived from Saudi Arabia in April.

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.

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.

Mpox was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation in July 2022. The organisation maintained its alert in November.

In November, the organisation named the disease mpox to replace the older term monkeypox, citing concerns of stigma and racism associated with the name.