Just a day after an alert was issued to prevent the potential spread of diseases through international travelers, Pakistan on Thursday confirmed its first monkeypox case of the year. The infected individual is a citizen of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) who recently returned from Saudi Arabia.
Officials from the federal health ministry revealed that the patient, a young man from Dir, is currently residing in Mardan. According to the health ministry, the man tested positive for Mpox after his return from Saudi Arabia on August 3.
In response, the health ministry has taken precautionary steps, including collecting additional samples from individuals who were in contact with the infected person. The ministry also instructed the Border Health Services to enhance monitoring at all entry points into the country.
To further curb the spread of the disease, a critical session was convened at the Health Ministry under the leadership of the Director-General of Health. During this session, advisories and guidelines were issued regarding Mpox. Provincial authorities have been directed to appoint focal persons to monitor and report any developments concerning the detection of the disease.
It is important to note that just a day earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the recent surge in monkeypox cases a global emergency.
In the past year, Pakistan has reported nine cases of Mpox, all involving travelers returning from the Middle East and other countries. Sadly, one of the patients, who was co-infected with HIV and Mpox, passed away in Islamabad.
During a special session of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Mpox, it was highlighted that around 15 African countries are currently experiencing Mpox outbreaks, with a total of 2,030 confirmed cases. Notably, four countries—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—have reported cases for the first time since mid-July 2024.
According to officials from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the WHO reported that between January 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024, there were 99,176 laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox, including 208 deaths, across 162 countries spanning all six WHO regions.
In June 2024 alone, 934 new cases were reported, with the majority originating from the African Region (61%), followed by the Americas (19%) and the European Region (11%).
The WHO has observed a decline in case reporting, advising caution in interpreting recent trends. The organization continues to urge all countries to classify Mpox as a notifiable disease and to report cases, even when no cases are detected (known as ‘zero-reporting’).
