Nishtar Hospital administration has decided five beds in ward no 27 besides setting up an awareness counter at Accident and Emergency (A&E) Ward in wake of moneypox (Mpox), an infectious disease caused by moneypox virus. A spokesperson for Nishtar Medical University (NMU), Dr Sajjad Masood, said on Thursday that the steps have been initiated on the directions of Secretary SH&ME South Punjab, Afzal Nasir Khan.
He informed that Nishtar Hospital had made available necessary medicines in the ward adding that an awareness counter was also working at A&E ward for awareness of the public on Mpox. In case of reported patients, the samples would be dispatched to Public Health Institute Lahore under the directives of health department, he explained.
The spokesperson informed that people with Mpox often get a rash that may be located on hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth or near the genitals and the incubation period is 3-17 days. During this time, a person does not have symptoms and may feel fine. The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy. Other symptoms of mpox can include: fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches and backache, headache. Respiratory symptoms including sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough and people can experience all or only a few symptoms. Sometimes, people have flu-like symptoms before the rash. Some people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms, while
Others only experience a rash, he maintained. It merits mentioning here Mpox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later. A person with Mpox can spread it to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. As of February 2023, new data show that some people can spread mpox to others from one to four days before their symptoms appear.
