ISLAMABAD, June 16 (ABC): Amid the rising risk of a monkeypox outbreak in Pakistan, the Pakistan Health ministry recently said that the country has no facility for diagnostic tests for the virus.
The officials of the federal health ministry said that there are no cases of monkeypox reported in the country yet, however, in the case of an outbreak, the samples can be sent abroad for testing.
“The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Islamabad clarifies that NO case of Monkeypox has yet been diagnosed in Pakistan. The news circulating on social media about monkeypox cases is incorrect. The situation is being closely monitored by the health authorities,” NIH had wrote on Twitter.
The ministry further said that the government is trying to procure the testing kits for the National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH). They further stated that Aga Khan University and other health organisations are also trying to procure the testing kits, reported.
The officials said that given the circumstances, the health experts can declare a patient as a suspected case by examining the symptoms. The monkeypox virus is tested through a PCR machine similar to the diagnostic tests for COVID-19, reported citing the health experts. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation on Friday issued a warning against the disease and said that countries should take the right measures to contain Monkeypox cases easily and also share data about their vaccine stockpiles.