The national health coordinator announced on Friday that Pakistan has reported its second case of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) at Peshawar airport.
Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the recent mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, following the identification of a new variant, Clade 1b. This variant has raised global alarm due to its rapid spread through close contact.
However, the WHO has clarified that mpox is not comparable to Covid-19, as there is already substantial knowledge about the virus and methods for its control.
Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad, the Prime Minister’s health coordinator, informed PTV News that the second case of mpox in Pakistan was imported from a Gulf country. The patient was transferred from Peshawar airport to a hospital.
The health coordinator did not specify whether the case involved the Clade 1b strain. The health ministry previously stated that the first mpox case in Pakistan was of the Clade 2 variety, with no Clade 1b cases confirmed.
Dr. Mukhtar emphasized that the health ministry is maintaining rigorous monitoring through an effective screening and surveillance system at all airports. Border Health Services staff are actively screening suspected cases and taking serious measures to protect public health.
Dr. Naseem Akhtar from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) reported that a 47-year-old traveller from the Middle East, who was working as a labourer and was a resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, was referred to Pims for suspected mpox infection.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently issued an urgent advisory on the outbreak, providing an overview of the global and national situation and guidance on prevention, detection, and response.
The WHO has raised its highest alert level for the outbreak in Africa, where the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported 27,000 cases and over 1,100 deaths since January 2023. Cases of the Clade 1b variant have also been confirmed in Sweden and Thailand, marking its spread outside Africa, though the WHO has not recommended travel restrictions.
Mpox typically presents with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While it is usually mild, it can be fatal, particularly for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
