PESHAWAR: Another case of monkeypox, also known as monkeypox, has been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), taking the total number of the virus to six in Pakistan, provincial health minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah said on Wednesday.
This is the sixth case reported in the country this year and the fifth since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the recent outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant of the virus was identified in August.
The latest patient is a resident of KP’s Lower Dir district, according to the National Institute of Health, Islamabad. He was isolated after screening at the Peshawar airport and after a medical test was confirmed to be a carrier of the mpox virus, he added.
The KP health minister said, “Public health laboratory confirmed the presence of mpox virus in the patient [blood] samples.”
“The patient has been quarantined at his home in Lower Dir district,” the minister said, adding that he arrived in Islamabad from a Gulf country on September 7 and then stayed at a hotel in Peshawar.
Shah further added, “Next day the patient went to a private clinic for [some] treatment and then transferred to Khyber Teaching Hospital.’
Mpox is a virus that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions and, although usually mild, can kill. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of complications Reuters.
Earlier this month, Peshawar reported its fourth case, raising fears that the city could become a hotspot for the virus.
The patient, a 47-year-old man, tested positive after being isolated by Border Health Services personnel on August 29. He had returned from the Gulf region, raising concerns about the spread of the virus from travelers arriving from the Middle East, Geo News reported.
“This is the fifth mpox case reported this year [in the country] and the fourth since WHO declared mpox a global health emergency,” Federal Director General of Health Dr Shabana Saleem said on Sunday.
Dr Saleem stressed the need for vigilance, stressing that all the recent cases involved people with a history of travel to the Gulf.
“Peshawar seems to be turning into an epicenter of mpox cases,” he said. “This trend is concerning and we are redoubling our efforts to prevent further spread.”
Authorities have stepped up measures to contain the virus, with strict screening protocols now in place at all airports.
A spike in mpox cases in Peshawar has raised concerns among health experts and the public, with calls for increased awareness and stricter travel guidelines.
The federal director-general of health has urged the public to remain vigilant and comply with health advice, particularly those returning from high-risk areas.
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