PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency, has organised a two-day emergency training workshop for lab scientists to improve the diagnosis of mpox cases in the province.

The initiative comes amid the federal health secretary’s claim that the situation regarding the zoonotic disease is under control in the country due to the government’s effective measures.

During the event, Dr Mohammad Sartaj of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Public Health Reference Lab (PHRL) director Dr Yasar Mehmood Yousafzai spoke on how to detect and respond to mpox cases in the province to contain its spread.

The province has so far reported one mpox case.

Director (public health) Dr Irshad Roghani said the workshop was meant to train pathologists of all 12 PCR labs at divisional level to ensure that the suspected mpox patients are tested promptly to take preventive measures against the infection.

Emergency training held for lab scientists to improve diagnosis of zoonotic disease

He said the only confirmed mpox case in the province had been isolated amid heightened surveillance.

“We have screened 15,000 passengers at Peshawar airport and 6,000 on Torkham border, and all of them were found asymptomatic for

mpox,” he said, adding that screening is an ongoing exercise to ensure the identification, isolation and testing of suspected cases.

Dr Yasar Yousafzai said after the World Health Organisation declared mpoxoutbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” the PHRL took significant steps for the establishment of infectious disease testing facilities, including a real-time PCR lab for mpox.

He said the training workshop was organised to equip health professionals and stakeholders with the latest knowledge and strategies to effectively respond to and manage mpox cases.

Dr Mohammad Sartaj of the UKHSA said the people involved in healthcare at all levels should know the signs and symptoms of mpox cases for effective control of the infection.

“We will provide all sorts of support to enhance the capacity of labs for timely detection of this zoonotic disease,” he said.

KMU Vice Chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq said the PHRL established by the health department in collaboration with the National Institute of Health Islamabad had been performing tests of all notifiable diseases, with its lab scientists detecting the latest mpox case in the province.

He said rapid diagnosis played a key role in containing disease outbreaks and that the PHRL conducted all tests, including that of mpox, free of charge.

Meanwhile, federal health secretary Nadeem Mahbub visited the Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar to examine surveillance for the prevention of mpox, according to a news release.

The secretary met with officials of the Civil Aviation Authority, doctors, and medical personnel to discuss essential health protocols.

A team of the Border Health Services briefed him about the ongoing preventive measures against mpox.

The secretary reviewed the system for screening incoming travellers and emphasised the importance of maintaining vigilant health protocols.

“Situation regarding mpox in Pakistan is satisfactory. We have established an effective screening system at airports, utilising thermal scanners in line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation,” he said.

Mr Mahbub appreciated thetraining workshop for health workers saying they will learn about ways to manage potential mpox threats effectively.

He said he was visiting airports across the country to monitor arrangements for mpox prevention.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2024