Health authorities confirm first case of mpox virus in Pakistan’s northwest

A man riding a vehicle moves past the building of National Institute of Health (NIH), a Pakistani research institute mainly responsible for biomedical and health related research, in Islamabad on August 16, 2024. (AFP)

• The viral infection has been detected in the patient on arrival from a Gulf country, official says
• Pakistan puts airports on alert after WHO describes mpox outbreak in Africa as global emergency

PESHAWAR: Health authorities have confirmed first case of mpox virus in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, officials said on Friday.
The mpox virus is primarily found in Central and West Africa, where it is transmitted from animals, such as rodents and primates, to humans. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with body fluids, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials like bedding. The disease is characterized by fever, swollen lymph nodes and a distinctive rash.
The viral infection was detected in a patient in the Mardan district of the northwestern Pakistani province, according to KP Public Health Director Dr. Irshad Roghani. The patient, who returned to Pakistan from a Gulf country last week, has been quarantined at home.
“First case of Monkeypox has been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that we have confirmed through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test,” Dr. Roghani told Arab News. “It has been sent to NIH (National Institute of Health) Islamabad for genetic sequencing.”
The provincial health department is ensuring all precautions and preventive measures against the virus, according to the official. Rapid response teams have been constituted who will respond to such cases at the district level and any suspected patient will be isolated and managed further.
Global health officials on Thursday confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden and linked it to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease a global public health emergency.
On Wednesday, the WHO declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of alert, after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries.
There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023.