Peshawar, Pakistan - September 03, 2024

Storyline:
Airports and land border crossings across Pakistan have heightened screening and other precautionary measures to ward off potential domestic transmission of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, as the number of inbound cases rises.

The northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, close to the border with Afghanistan, recently reported the country's fifth mpox case.

The country identified the presence of mpox for the first time in mid-August with three inbound cases, all from the Gulf region, being confirmed within just two days.

The most recent case, 52-year-old Fazal Ameen, recently arrived from Saudi Arabia and is now isolated in Peshawar's Police and Services Hospital.

Dr. Asif Izhar, who is in charge of the isolation ward expressed deep concern over the virus's resurgence in the region.

Across the country, medical workers are working around the clock to isolate suspected cases. Health officials said all confirmed cases so far have been imported with no signs of domestic transmission.

Pakistan's health department has established a coordinated surveillance and response system, including isolation wards in all districts. Rapid response teams at district health offices have also been set up.

According to a report from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial health department, more than 20,000 individuals have been screened at Bacha Khan International Airport and over 21,000 at the Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan over the last month.

Shotlist:
Peshawar, Pakistan - Sept 3, 2024:
1. Pedestrians, vehicles;
2. Hospital, pedestrians;
3. Various of patients sitting on bed;
4. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Fazal Ameen, patient:
"My entire body was inflamed and itchy. When the doctors at the airport told me that they needed to run tests, I agreed immediately. I didn't want to take any risk that could endanger the lives of my children and wife."
5. Various of medical workers talking, putting on gloves
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Asif Izhar, medical specialist, Police and Services Hospital (partially overlaid with shot 7):
"There is an epidemic of monkeypox nowadays right around the corner and the WHO has declared a worldwide emergency. So, in that respect, the KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) government has isolated this ward, this unit, and we have got this isolation unit for the personnel who are suspected of carrying the monkeypox virus."
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
7. Sign warning of monkeypox;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
8. Various of patients making payment at counter in hospital;
9. Hospital clinic table;
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Niaz Muhammad, medical superintendent, Services Hospital (starting with shot 9):
"We have already different teams at the Bacha Khan Airport, which are working in different shifts -- morning, evening and night, but most of the patients are arrived in night shift. And after that they screen these patients at the airport and only suspected patients are brought to this hospital."
11. Various of medical workers in isolated workspace.

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