ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government issued urgent instructions to all national and provincial health authorities on Monday, urging them to be on the lookout for any suspected monkeypox cases.

According to a report by Radio Pakistan, the Ministry of National Health Services is actively monitoring the issue and has disproved falsehoods spreading on social media concerning monkeypox instances in Pakistan, according to reports. "According to information from the National Institute of Health (NIH), no case of monkeypox has been diagnosed in the country so far," the statement said.

Previously, the National Institute of Health acknowledged that reports on social media about the disease's prevalence in the country were "incorrect." It also urged national and provincial health authorities to be on the lookout for any suspicious cases.

Last week, Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel announced that the government had placed an order for viral disease testing kits. "We've ordered the testing kits, and they will be here soon," he added, adding that workers at the country's entry points had also been notified. "So far, there hasn't been any case," Patel acknowledged.

Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic illness caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, according to the National Institutes of Health.

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