Three suspected mpox cases in Karachi negative. patients sent home

• Suspected patients were admitted to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital.
• One patient was sent home after remaining asymptomatic.
• Total mpox cases in Pakistan have reached six, with most reported in KP.
  

The Sindh health department said on Sunday that three suspected mpox cases in Karachi were sent home after one showed no signs of the disease and tests for the other two were negative.

These persons were suspected of contracting mpox after returning to Pakistan from Middle Eastern countries at Jinnah International Airport, Geo News he said citing relevant sources.

The person, who showed no symptoms of the disease, was allowed to return home yesterday, the health ministry said. The other two suspected cases were also discharged after testing negative for mpox.

The two had arrived in Karachi from Jeddah on Saturday, according to the health ministry.

All three people were immediately taken to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre, hospital officials confirmed.

There are currently six confirmed mpox cases in Pakistan, with the majority reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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.

The infectious disease has shaken African countries, including DR Congo, where there have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, the majority of deaths among children.

The outbreak began in January 2023 in the Congo, and in August this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.