An infection control alert has been issued in Karachi following the confirmation of at least one monkeypox (mpox) case in Pakistan. The alert, which applies to both private and government-run hospitals in the city, was triggered by the Federal Health Ministry’s announcement that a patient returning from a Gulf country had tested positive for the mpox virus.
The ministry’s spokesperson noted that sequencing of the confirmed case is underway, but the specific variant of mpox will only be identified once the process is complete.
In related developments, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health authorities confirmed one mpox case after retracting their earlier statement that three patients had been detected upon arrival from the United Arab Emirates.
Although experts acknowledge that the mpox vaccine offers some protection, Dr. Saeed Khan, an infectious disease specialist at DOW University, stated that the vaccine is currently unavailable.
Mpox, a viral disease related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus, spreads through close contact and contaminated materials such as sheets, clothing, and needles, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO has declared a global emergency over the spread of mpox, emphasizing that the disease can be transmitted from animals to humans and between individuals.
Last year, Pakistan reported nine cases of mpox, all among travelers returning from the Middle East and other regions, with one fatality in Islamabad involving a patient co-infected with HIV and mpox.
