Sindh Health Department Begins Mpox Screening at Karachi Airport

KARACHI: The Sindh health department has initiated the screening of passengers at Jinnah International Airport and issued an advisory for healthcare institutions across the province amid growing concerns over the mpox virus.

Sindh’s Director General (DG) of Health, alongside airport officials and the director of health services, conducted a visit to the airport to assess the screening protocols for mpox. During the visit, the officials were briefed on the procedures being implemented to screen passengers arriving in Pakistan on international flights.

The team also inspected an isolation room established by the Border Health Services for travelers exhibiting potential symptoms of mpox.

The screening measures come after Pakistan’s health ministry confirmed at least one case of the mpox virus in a patient who had recently returned from a Gulf country. The ministry has not yet identified the strain of the virus, as sequencing of the confirmed case is still underway. The health ministry spokesperson stated that the specific variant of mpox involved would be determined once the sequencing process is completed.

Global concerns have heightened over a new variant of the mpox virus, which appears to spread more easily through routine close contact. On Thursday, a case of this new variant was confirmed in Sweden, linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, marking the first sign of its spread beyond the continent.