Mpox has reached Pakistan, with the first case reported on Thursday. Additionally, two individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), who also returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have tested positive for the virus, according to the health department.
Mpox is starting to spread in Pakistan, with two more cases identified in KP, bringing the total number of cases in the country to three, the health department confirmed on Friday.
On Thursday, just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern, Pakistan reported its first case of the virus this year. The case involved a 34-year-old man who recently returned from Saudi Arabia and tested positive.
A resident of Mardan, returned to Pakistan on August 3 and started exhibiting symptoms soon after arriving in Peshawar. The health department in KP stated that the two other patients who tested positive for Mpox had recently returned from the UAE.
Health officials have intensified efforts to trace all individuals who had close contact with the infected patients, including fellow passengers on their flights.
While Pakistan has previously recorded Mpox cases, it is unclear which variant has been detected in the three recent cases.
On Wednesday, the WHO declared the recent outbreak of Mpox in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern due to the identification of a new variant of the virus.
Read More: WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Emergency
The WHO’s highest level of alert was issued after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to neighboring countries.
According to the global health body, over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths related to Mpox have been recorded in Africa this year, surpassing the figures from last year. More than 96% of these cases and deaths have occurred in Congo, where a new, potentially more transmissible variant is raising concerns among scientists.
