Daily Times

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Sunday directed all airlines flying into Pakistan from abroad to adopt preventive measures against monkeypox at the airports, as the country records first case of virus earlier this week in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The PCAA directed all the airlines arriving from abroad to provide masks to their passengers. “Whereas, it has been made mandatory for staff of the airlines and ground handling service as well to wear masks,” it said. The authority instructed airlines to ensure sanitising hands of the staff and passengers, while their luggage should also be disinfected. The passengers having symptoms of monkeypox should be isolated, it ordered. In response to the looming threat of monkeypox in Punjab, the provincial government has established a technical committee dedicated to the prevention and diagnosis of the virus in the province. The committee is headed by former Caretaker Health Minister Dr. Javed Akram and includes 20 senior health department officials. Members from Border Health Services, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization are also part of the committee, along with representatives from DG Health Punjab and Rescue 1122.