PESHAWAR: A monkeypox patient managed to travel to Peshawar from Islamabad, raising serious concerns over the negligence of Border Health Services (BHS).
According to officials, the individual, who had arrived from a Gulf country, landed at Islamabad Airport on 7th September. Due to lapses in screening by Border Health Services, the patient left the airport and travelled to Peshawar, where he stayed at a hotel and later consulted a skin specialist.
Tests conducted at Khyber Medical University confirmed the individual had monkeypox, sparking concern among health authorities over the poor surveillance at various entry points, particularly airports.
Experts from the Technical Working Group (TWG) have warned that surveillance across all points of entry, except Peshawar, remains inadequate.
This marks the fifth reported case of monkeypox in Pakistan, with the majority of infections traced back to travellers from the Gulf region.