PESHAWAR: Pakistani health authorities confirmed the country’s fifth case of mpox on Wednesday, with all cases reported in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department, the latest patient is a 33-year-old resident of Lower Dir who had been isolating at home after showing symptoms and testing positive for the disease.
The patient had returned to Pakistan on September 7 through Islamabad International Airport, subsequently traveling to Peshawar before being referred to Khyber Teaching Hospital from a private clinic.
Samples were collected at the hospital and sent to the Public Health Reference Lab, which confirmed the presence of the Mpox virus today, the health department said in a statement. The patient is currently quarantined at home in Lower Dir under the surveillance of the District Health Officer (DHO). His condition is improving, and his family has been educated on how to prevent the spread of the infection.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah expressed concern about the screening process at Islamabad Airport, where the patient was not initially detected with mpox. In a video message, the Health Minister noted that over 66,000 people have been screened at various entry points in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Out of 17 suspected cases of mpox, five have been confirmed, including the latest case reported today.
It is worth mentioning that the four previous mpox cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have recovered and cleared the infection after receiving treatment.
Mpox, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, was declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on August 14. The disease, first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has spread to neighboring regions.
In response, Pakistan has increased alert levels at airports and border entry points and is implementing stringent monitoring measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
