LAHORE: No case of Monkeypox has been reported in Pakistan, however, precautionary measures have been taken by the government departments and diagnostic test lab facility has been provided in the BSL-III Lab of Institute of Public Health (IPH).
Punjab health department in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other stakeholders has also issued guidelines to the all concerned departments and the institutions.
PML-N leaders Khawaja Salman Rafique and Kh Imran Nazir MPAs told media that the government is aware of health challenges and will take all possible measures for the protection of the people.
Moreover, Prof Dr Sobia Qazi, Dean IPH, Prof Dr Zarfishan Tahir, Director Communicable Disease Control Programme (CDC), DGHS, Dr Shahid Magsi and other public health experts addressed a seminar and highlighted different aspects of monkey pox.
Prof Sobia Qazi said that symptoms of small pox and chicken pox are very similar with the viral disease monkey pox, therefore, clinicians should get more information and orientation regarding the disease so that they could differentiate between the diseases and without solid reason and lab test, do not declare similar skin disease cases as monkey pox patients.
Dean IPH, Dr Zarfishan Tahir said that the people should not get panic and do not pay heed to the rumours regarding the disease, however preventive measures should be taken including wearing masks while going market/gathering and hand washing after interaction with others to ensure hygienic conditions.
Meanwhile, a high level meeting was held, to review acute watery Diarrhoea and Cholera cases surfaced in the province. Director CDC briefed the participants about the diarrhoea and Cholera situation in detail.
Khawaja Salman Rafique said that total 17 confirmed cases of cholera have been reported during this month out of which 13 cases of Lahore, 3 from Sheikhupura and 1 from Vehari. Special counters for diagnosis of diarrhoea and Cholera cases are also set up in the hospitals and ORS and anti-biotics medicines are available for patients, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022