The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to meet as the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.

Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.

Determining a disease outbreak as a “public health emergency of international concern” or PHEIC — the WHO’s highest level of alert — can accelerate research, funding and international public health measures and cooperation to contain the disease.

The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. But a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact. It has spread from Congo to neighbouring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, triggering action from the WHO.

“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Africa’s top public health body declared a mpox emergency for the continent a day ago after warning that the viral infection was spreading at an alarming rate.

More than 17,000 suspected mpox cases and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160 per cent increase in cases compared to the same period last year, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. A total of 13 countries have reported cases.

A different form of the mpox virus — clade IIb — spread globally in 2022, largely through sexual contact among men who have sex with men. This prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency then, which it ended 10 months later.

In November of the same year, the organisation renamed the disease from the older term of monkeypox, citing concerns of stigma and racism associated with the name.

Meanwhile, NCOC Deputy Coordinator Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan told Dawn.com today that Thursday’s meeting will be chaired by NCOC Director General Dr Shabana Saleem and virtually attended by provincial DGs to devise a strategy to tackle the rapid global increase in cases of mpox and some cases of the Zika virus.

He said the meeting will discuss the availability of testing kits, arrangements at entry points of the country and availability of isolation wards and beds in hospitals nationwide.

“Border Security Services has been also invited to attend the meeting so that a foolproof arrangement would be made to stop the arrival of the virus in the country or case of an arrival of an infected patient, he/she would be isolated without any delay. Although WHO has not issued any advisory over it, we are expecting to get it any time,” Khan said.

He said Pakistan received mpox cases from Arab countries in the past and there were chances that the people travelling from the Middle East may again carry the virus.

Dr Khan, an infectious disease specialist, said mpox was being reported in African countries but as the world was a global village, the virus could reach any country at any time. “A control room has already been set up at the NCOC to tackle possible mpox spread in the country,” he added.

Replying to a question, he said that a testing kit was used to collect fluid from the wounds of the patient and a polymerase chain reaction test was conducted to confirm the presence of the virus.

Dr Khan also said that the Zika virus was an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda.

“Adults do not suffer much because of the Zika virus but brain development stops in babies if a mosquito bites pregnant women,” he said.