ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Sunday directed all airlines flying into Pakistan from abroad to adopt preventive measures against monkeypox at the airports, as the country recorded its first case of the virus earlier this week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The PCAA directed airlines to enhance their health protocols to curb the potential spread of monkeypox. As part of the new guidelines, airlines must provide masks to all passengers and ensure that their staff and ground handling personnel are also equipped with masks. Furthermore, airlines are required to implement regular hand sanitization for both staff and passengers, and all luggage must be disinfected.
Passengers showing symptoms of monkeypox, such as rashes and fever, are to be isolated to prevent further transmission. The PCAA’s directives aim to address concerns about the virus, particularly given the recent global alert surrounding a new, more transmissible strain of monkeypox.
The newly identified variant of monkeypox, which has sparked international concern, was first confirmed outside Africa in Sweden on August 15. This strain appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, prompting heightened vigilance worldwide.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, local health authorities confirmed on Friday that one case of monkeypox had been detected in the province. Initial reports had suggested that three cases were identified among travelers from abroad, but subsequent clarifications revealed that two of these cases were from last year, and only one was related to the recent outbreak. The confirmed case in KP was associated with the new strain that has been causing alarm globally.
Meanwhile, the national health ministry has ramped up contact tracing and airport surveillance. Extra health personnel have been deployed to monitor travelers and enhance screening procedures. Federal Ministry of Health spokesperson Sajid Shah confirmed that while the new variant has not yet been officially identified in the patient, genome sequencing is underway to determine the exact strain. “Once that’s done, we will be able to say what strain is this,” Shah had said.
