Pakistan on high alert after first case of Mpox

Case was confirmed just day after WHO declared Mpox global health emergency of public concern

By M. Waqar Bhatti

August 16, 2024

This file photo taken in 2022 shows a patient with a sore caused by monkeypox in Peru.— AFP/file

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has confirmed its first Mpox case of 2024 after a man from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who recently returned from a Middle Eastern country, tested positive. The case was confirmed just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a global health emergency of public concern.

“A young man from Dir, currently residing in Mardan, tested positive for Mpox after returning from a brotherly Arab state on August 3,” an official from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) told The News. “Provincial health authorities are now engaged in contact tracing,” the official added.

In response to the confirmed case, Border Health Services (BHS) and provincial authorities have been put on high alert. Instructions have been issued to establish isolation wards in designated hospitals, stock antiviral medications and ensure the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers both at points of entry and in healthcare facilities.

This case marks the 11th instance of Mpox in Pakistan over the past two years and the first in 2024. Last year, a patient co-infected with HIV and Mpox passed away at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. Following the detection, additional samples have been collected from individuals in close contact with the patient. The Health Ministry has directed intensified monitoring at all entry points to prevent further cases from entering the country.

In the past year, Pakistan had 10 confirmed Mpox cases, all linked to travelers from the Middle East and other regions. The recurrence of cases among travelers highlights the critical need for rigorous border screening and monitoring.

During a special NCOC session, officials noted that around 15 African countries are currently reporting Mpox cases, with 2,030 confirmed infections. The spread to previously unaffected regions like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda since mid-July 2024 indicates the virus’s growing reach.