Islamabad, Apr 26 (IANS): The Pakistan Health Ministry announced that the country has recorded its first ever case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry said that the National Institute of Health confirmed the detection the previous day, reports Xinhua news agency.

Following the detection of the case, all airports across Pakistan are now implementing the health regulatory guidelines issued by the authorities, the ministry said, adding that the Border Health Services Pakistan is monitoring the whole situation.

"All necessary measures have been ensured to save the public from diseases and epidemics," the Ministry added.

Mpox cases have been on the rise across the world since last year, with 87,113 confirmed cases reported to the WHO between January 1, 2022 and April 24, 2023.

Mpox is traditionally confined to regions in Central and West Africa, and can cause fever, chills, rashes and lesions, among other symptoms.