Mpox case reported in nurse at Bahawal Victoria Hospital

BAHAWALPUR: A senior staff nurse at Bahawal Victoria Hospital has tested positive for mpox, prompting concern among doctors and other employees at the major healthcare facility in south Punjab.

Speaking on behalf of BVH Medical Superintendent Dr Abdul Rehman Chandio, Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Rizwan Ahmad confirmed the case. He said the nurse’s test was carried out at a government laboratory in Lahore. According to Dr Rizwan, her condition is improving and she is in home isolation. He added that she is being treated and monitored under the supervision of the hospital’s senior administration.

A doctor at the hospital said the nurse had been working in the emergency ward and may have contracted the highly communicable virus there from a patient already carrying the infection. He said the case came to light after she developed related symptoms and her samples were sent for testing, which later returned positive.

Another doctor warned that the virus, because of its high human-to-human transmission rate, could spread among doctors, hospital staff and patients. He called on the administrations of Bahawal Victoria Hospital and Quaid-i-Azam Medical College to put in place effective precautionary steps to prevent any health emergency. This was believed to be the first mpox case detected at BVH.