Mpox:  Govt opens hotline

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has opened hotline to prevent mpox (previously monkeypox) as part of an emergency step. 

People have been asked to contact 16263 and 10655 numbers about the matter.

DGHS issued a press release in this regard on Saturday. 

The Ministry of Health has said that Bangladesh is on high alert for mpox (previously monkeypox), an infectious disease which has spread across various countries, particularly in Central Africa.

The disease, which leads to symptoms such as pain, swollen lymph nodes, and fever, has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Pakistan’s health ministry, on Friday, said that it has identified a case of mpox, but sequencing is being done to determine whether it is a new variant.