PCAA orders airlines to implement MPOX precautions at airports

KARACHI: The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has instructed all airlines arriving from international destinations to implement preventive measures against monkeypox at airports, following the country’s first confirmed case of the virus earlier this week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A new variant of monkeypox has raised global concern due to its increased transmission through close contact. This variant was first identified in Sweden on August 15 and linked to an ongoing outbreak in Africa, marking its spread beyond the continent.

Moreover, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health authorities revised their earlier statement on Friday, confirming only one case of monkeypox in the province. The initial reports of three cases included two individuals who contracted the virus last year, while the third case involves the recent strain.

The PCAA has mandated that airlines provide masks to passengers and ensure that their staff and ground handling personnel also wear masks. The authority has also directed airlines to sanitize hands, disinfect luggage, and isolate any passengers showing symptoms of monkeypox.

In Mardan, KP, a health officer reported that the location of the confirmed monkeypox patient, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, remains unknown. Initial tests and advice were provided in Peshawar, but the patient subsequently traveled to Mardan and then another district. Attempts to locate him in Dir district have been unsuccessful.

The National Health Ministry is conducting contact tracing for the identified patient and enhancing airport surveillance with additional health personnel. Federal Ministry of Health spokesperson Sajid Shah stated that sequencing of the patient’s sample is underway to determine the specific strain of the virus.