QUETTA:Special Secretary Health Balochistan Dawood Khan Bazai, Director General (DG) Health Balochistan Dr. Noor Muhammad Qazi chaired a meeting regarding preventing the possible spread of monkeypox diseases at DG Health Office on Friday.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Coordinator Covid-19 Dr. Naqibullah Niazi, MS Benazir Hospital Dr. Afzal Zirkoon, Deputy MS Civil Hospital Quetta Dr. Mehboob Qambrani, Provincial Coordinator EPI Dr. Akhtar Bilidi, Provincial Coordinator MCH Dr. Abdi Khan, Director Provento Program Dr. Amir Resani, Dr. Asfandyar Shirani of WHO, Assistant Medical Superintendent Fatima Jinnah Hospital Dr. Zubair Kakar, Provincial Coordinator DHIS Dr. Dawood Kasi, Consultant WHO Dr. Ahmed Wali, Deputy DHO Quetta Dr. Zafar Khosti, Deputy MSBMC Hospital Quetta Dr. Zeenat, PPHI Dr. Mukhtar Zehri and other concerned doctors.
Special Secretary Health Balochistan Dawood Khan Bazai said that special instructions have been issued to the officials of the provincial health department to be on high alert for any suspected case of monkeypox.
It is a viral disease that has been spreading in Europe and elsewhere in recent times,
The Department of Health is closely monitoring the situation in Balochistan and has rejected information circulating on social media about cases of monkeypox in Balochistan, he added.
He said that no case of monkeypox has been reported in Balochistan so far.” Reports on the spread of the disease in the country on social media were false. .
Director General Health Balochistan Dr. Noor Muhammad Qazi, while addressing the meeting, said that Balochistan Health Department was working diligently and in Fatima Jinnah Hospital, BMC Hospital, Civil Hospital, Mufti Mahmood Hospital, Benazir Hospital and Sheikh Zayed Hospital where isolation wards with 5 to 10 beds for women and men have been established in order to prevent such diseases.
He said that Balochistan Health Department has completed arrangements to implement all precautionary measures and SOPs to deal with the threat of monkeypox virus.
A report of all these matters will be prepared and sent to the higher authorities on a daily basis. The Health Department of Balochistan has announced a high alert against monkey pox. No case has been reported so far, he maintained.
He said that screening of passengers coming from foreign countries was being done at Point of Inter Chaman, Turbat, Gwadar, Taftan, Banjgur, Kech and Airport.
DG Health Dr Noor Muhammad Qazi added that the virus enters the body through cut skin, respiratory tract or eyes, nose or membranes, after the appearance of fever, a rash appears on the patient within one to three days, monkeypox often start on the face and then spread to other parts of the body, other symptoms include headache, muscle pain and fatigue, the incubation period for monkey-pox was usually seven to 14 days but can range from five to 21 days.
He said that the disease usually lasts for two to four weeks, steps are taken to create awareness about monkeypox among the public through the Health Education Cell and staff at the entry points of the province have also been alerted, any negligence in this regard would not be tolerated,