At least three patients have been diagnosed with the monkeypox virus in Pakistan, health authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed on Friday. All patients, whose cases have been confirmed by the health department in KP, were detected with the virus following their arrival from an Arab country, the department said. Pakistan has had cases of Mpox previously and it was not immediately clear which variant was detected in the patients. Earlier, surveillance at the airports was tightened across Pakistan after the country confirmed its first case of monkeypox in KP's Peshawar. Meanwhile, the Border Health Services (BHS) and provincial authorities have also been put on high alert in the wake of the case's detection in the country's north-western province.

Authorities have issued instructions to establish isolation wards in designated hospitals, stocking antiviral medications and ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and all healthcare facilities and points of entry. Following the detection, additional samples have also been collected from individuals in close contact with the patient. The Health Ministry has also directed intensified monitoring at all entry points to prevent further cases from entering the country. The country, on Thursday, confirmed its first monkeypox case this year after a resident of Dir, who currently resides in Mardan, tested positive after he returned to Pakistan from a Middle Eastern country on August 3, an official from the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) told the publication. "Provincial health authorities are now engaged in contact tracing," the official added.

The case was confirmed just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease a global health emergency of public concern. The 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. In the past year, Pakistan had 10 confirmed Mpox cases, all linked to travellers from the Middle East and other regions. The recurrence of cases among travellers 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.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan