Pakistan reports fourth case of mpox; latest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

Islamabad: Authorities in Pakistan on Monday reported a suspected case of Monkeypox (mpox) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, taking the number of people affected by the virus to four.

A 47-year-old resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who recently returned to Pakistan from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, was admitted to Islamabad's Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) with mpox symptoms.

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

Earlier, Pakistan reported three cases of mpox -- all from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan has taken precautions to tackle the virus and put in place a strict screening system at airports after it emerged that all the patients affected by mpox reportedly returned from abroad.

Pakistan's government announced on Saturday that it has formulated a comprehensive policy against mpox virus and that people should not worry about its spread.

Laboratories were allocated for diagnosis in all provinces and the federal capital, an official said.

The official said cases were reported from Africa and travellers from Africa, America and the Gulf countries would be monitored.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also chaired a meeting on the issue of mpox and ordered strict vigilance on the spread of the disease.

He also instructed that effective screening measures be ensured at all airports, seaports and borders, besides asking Border Health Services to keep complete surveillance of the situation.

Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, can spread through close contact and the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of the disease as a public health emergency of international concern on Wednesday after the new variant of the virus was identified.

At least 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, have been reported in Congo since the current outbreak in January last year.