Pakistan has identified three cases of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in the khyber pakhtunkhwa province, according to the local health department. The infections were detected in patients arriving from the United Arab Emirates. The World health Organization (WHO) has recently declared the outbreak of mpox a public health emergency of international concern due to the emergence of a new virus variant.
The specific variant of the virus in these cases has not yet been confirmed. Salim Khan, the director General of health Services for khyber pakhtunkhwa, reported that two of the patients have been confirmed with mpox, while samples from the third patient are being tested at the National health Institute in Islamabad for confirmation. All three patients are currently in quarantine.
Pakistan’s national health ministry has also reported a suspected case of mpox. Global health officials recently confirmed a new strain of the virus in Sweden, linking it to an ongoing outbreak in Africa. This marks the first evidence of the virus spreading beyond the continent, coming a day after the WHO declared the situation a global public health emergency.
The WHO's declaration follows the spread of mpox from the democratic republic of congo to neighboring countries. Since the outbreak began in january 2023, there have been 27,000 cases and over 1,100 deaths, primarily affecting children in Congo.
Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, is known to cause symptoms such as a painful rash, swollen lymph nodes, and fever, and can lead to severe illness in some individuals.
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