LAHORE: Over the past six months, 21 monkeypox cases have been reported at Mayo Hospital, Lahore. Hospital authorities confirmed none of the patients had recent foreign travel history.
Currently, nine patients are undergoing treatment. Samples from three suspected cases have been sent to the Health Department for testing, while three deaths related to monkeypox have been reported in Lahore.
Most patients are aged 20 to 45. Among the infected are a nurse, two paramedics, and two children. An isolation ward has been set up at Mayo Hospital for treatment.
Monkeypox, caused by the Mpox virus, is suspected to originate from African rodents or non-human primates. Symptoms include fever, rash starting on the face and spreading, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. The disease incubates in 7–14 days (sometimes 5–21 days) and lasts 2–4 weeks. The rash progresses through macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs stages.
