The Directorate General of Health Services has launched a hotline for reporting cases of monkeypox or mpox.
If anyone shows symptoms of monkeypox, they are advised to contact 16263 or 10655 as quickly as possible.
This information was provided in a press release on Saturday.
The release states that monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which can cause painful rashes, swollen lymph nodes, and fever.
It has spread to many countries, including the Central African Republic, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya.
“If you notice any symptoms of this disease in your body, or if you have been in contact with an infected person, or if you show symptoms within 21 days of traveling to an infected country, please contact 16263 or 10655,” it says.
Pakistan said on Friday it had confirmed a case of mpox, a day after Sweden recorded the first infection outside of Africa involving a new, more dangerous strain of the virus that has killed hundreds in the DR Congo.
What is mpox?
You might have heard of mpox with its former name — monkeypox. Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus.
The virus was first discovered in 1958 in Denmark, when an outbreak that resembled smallpox was described in monkey colonies kept for research.
Although it is called "monkeypox virus," the original source of the virus is still unknown. Researchers suggest that rodents or small mammals, like squirrels and primates, might harbor the virus.
Mpox cases outside regions like Central and West Africa, where the virus is endemic, have historically been rare and were usually linked to travel or imported animals.
In the span of two years, however, the WHO has twice declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency. In 2022, mpox spread to over 70 countries that hadn't reported cases previously.
This year, a new mpox variant caused a surge of cases and deaths in Congo and in neighboring countries, causing WHO to again declare the spread of the virus an emergency with international concern.