Pakistan has reported its third case of the mpox virus at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport, with another suspected case currently under investigation, confirmed Dr. Irshad Ali Roghani, the Public Health Director for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Saturday.
This development follows the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) declaration earlier this month, categorizing the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. The cause for alarm is the identification of the new variant, Clade 1b, which has raised global concerns due to its rapid transmission through routine close contact.
Despite these concerns, WHO has emphasized that the mpox outbreak differs significantly from Covid-19, given the extensive knowledge already available about the virus and established methods for its control.
Pakistan’s health ministry had earlier clarified that the first case of mpox detected in the country involved the clade 2 variety. The second confirmed case, detected last week, was also identified at Peshawar airport.
According to Dr. Roghani, two travelers displaying symptoms of the mpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox, were intercepted at the airport on Thursday. They were promptly transferred to the Police and Services Hospital (PSH) for immediate treatment.
Documents reviewed by a private news outlet, including the ‘Suspected Passengers Data Form,’ reveal that both individuals were on the same flight from Jeddah to Peshawar. The confirmed patient, a 51-year-old man from Orakzai, is currently in stable condition and receiving treatment at PSH.
“This marks the third confirmed case of mpox in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year,” Dr. Roghani stated, noting that no locally transmitted cases have been reported to date. He added that samples taken from the patient were sent to a laboratory, where the Public Health Reference Laboratory later confirmed the diagnosis.
Meanwhile, the second individual, a 47-year-old man from Peshawar, also had samples sent for testing, with results pending, according to Dr. Roghani.
In response to the outbreak, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has established an integrated surveillance and response system for mpox. The national health coordinator also confirmed the detection of the second case at Peshawar airport last week.
The Ministry of National Health Services reassured the public that the mpox virus remains under control in Pakistan. A ministry spokesperson highlighted that screening efforts for suspected patients are ongoing nationwide, with those showing symptoms being isolated in hospital wards to prevent local transmission.
The WHO had earlier raised its highest level of alert in Africa after the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) began spreading to neighboring countries. Since the outbreak’s onset in January 2023, the DRC has reported 27,000 cases and over 1,100 deaths, primarily affecting children.
So far, the Clade 1b variant has been confirmed in Sweden and Thailand, marking the first instances of its spread beyond Africa. However, the WHO has not recommended any travel restrictions in response to the mpox outbreak.
Mpox typically presents with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While the disease is generally mild, it can be fatal, particularly for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
