Four mpox cases confirmed in Pakistan amid confusion over total infections

Sept. 1, 2024, 5:18 p.m.

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Pakistan's health authorities announced another monkeypox (mpox) virus case on Sunday, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the true number of cases in the country.

The fourth case was identified in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where three previous cases had been confirmed. "The medical team at Peshawar airport transported the patient (fourth case) to the Police and Services Hospital (PSH) after detecting symptoms during screening," stated KP Health Director Dr Irshad Ali Roghani.

Roghani reported that the rapid response team collected samples from the patient's wound at the hospital and submitted them to the laboratory, where mpox was confirmed. The patient was said to be in stable condition. According to officials, all patients had recently arrived from other countries, and as of yet, no locally transmitted cases have been reported.

On August 19, health authorities revealed that a 47-year-old resident of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, was admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) due to mpox symptoms.

Dr Nasim Akhtar, the hospital’s focal person, had told the media that the patient showed symptoms consistent with mpox and was placed in a special ward designated for such cases at PIMS.

However, confirmation of mpox infection in this particular case was not provided. Another patient who was isolated in Karachi on Saturday due to suspected mpox symptoms was later cleared as testing negative for the virus. There is still uncertainty about the precise number of confirmed cases in Pakistan, but the latest confirmation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa official indicated that there are four confirmed cases in the country.

Pakistan has implemented stringent screening measures at its airports to combat the disease. This action was taken after it was discovered that all confirmed cases had recently traveled from overseas.

The mpox virus shows flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.

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