Pakistan confirms first case of monkeypox

Pakistan on Tuesday reported its first case of monkeypox in a person who traveled to the country from Saudi Arabia, Aaj News reported.

Airports nationwide have been put on high alert after detecting the virus, the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination said.

The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization earlier warned.

First identified in monkeys, the virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person. Until the last year, the viral disease has rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic.

But reports of a handful of cases in the United Kingdom in May 2022 signaled that the outbreak had moved into Europe.

Monkeypox is a virus that typically causes mild symptoms including fever, aches, and pus-filled skin lesions. People tend to recover within two to four weeks, according to the WHO.

The fatality rate in preceding monkeypox outbreaks in Africa of the strain currently spreading has been around 1%. Still, so far this outbreak appears to be less lethal in the non-endemic countries, many of which have more robust healthcare infrastructure.

Scientists are trying to determine what caused the initial spate of cases and whether anything about the virus has changed.

Experts say that increased global travel and climate change have generally accelerated the emergence and spread of viruses.