PM Shehbaz Sharif orders tight vigilance against mpox amid global outbreak threat

On Saturday, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the need for stringent monitoring of Monkeypox (mpox) following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.

During a key meeting focused on the actions being taken to curb the spread of the mpox virus, the prime minister instructed that rigorous screening protocols be enforced at all airports, seaports, and borders across the country. He also directed the Border Health Services to maintain comprehensive surveillance of the situation.

The prime minister tasked the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) with staying vigilant and conducting daily assessments of the situation, ensuring that all necessary equipment and kits for mpox virus evaluation are provided.

The meeting, which included PM’s Coordinator on National Health Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, Federal Secretary National Health Nadeem Mehboob, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, as well as other senior officials, highlighted the importance of strengthening coordination among provincial governments, and the governments of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called for an effective public awareness campaign and indicated that he would receive weekly updates on the mpox situation.

During the meeting, officials reported that a resident of District Mardan, who had recently returned from abroad, was diagnosed with mpox. The individual is currently quarantined and in stable condition. No local transmission of the virus has been detected in Pakistan so far.

Following WHO’s emergency declaration on August 14, the NCOC issued a national advisory and instructed both federal and provincial governments to initiate awareness campaigns.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is overseeing flights arriving from abroad, while isolation wards and beds have been allocated in major hospitals across the provinces, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad Capital Territory to handle potential cases. All precautionary measures are in place.