Pakistan Confirms Fifth Mpox Case in Peshawar, Patient Quarantined in Lower Dir

News Desk

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Minister Qasim Ali Shah confirmed Pakistan’s fifth case of the mpox virus in a 33-year-old man who arrived from a Gulf country on September 7. The patient, who traveled via Islamabad International Airport, was diagnosed after seeking medical treatment in Peshawar.

In a video message on Wednesday, Shah explained that the patient, upon arrival in Peshawar, visited a private clinic before being referred to Khyber Teaching Hospital, where his samples were sent to a public health reference lab. The lab confirmed the presence of the mpox virus, a disease that typically presents flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.

“The patient has been quarantined at his home in Lower Dir,” Shah said in a statement, adding that the individual had not met with any relatives after returning to Pakistan and had limited contact with others aside from fellow passengers on his flight.

Surveillance of the patient is being managed by the Lower Dir District Health Officer, and the health minister confirmed that the patient’s symptoms are improving. The patient’s family has also been informed of the risk of transmission.

Shah criticized the lack of screening at Islamabad International Airport, stating that the mpox patient had passed through the country’s largest airport undetected. “There must be many patients leaving the Islamabad airport daily and traveling elsewhere in the country,” he said, urging the federal government to bolster its screening procedures at entry points.

So far, more than 66,000 passengers have been screened at KP’s entry points, and five cases have been confirmed out of 17 suspected cases, according to Shah.

The minister also noted that Pakistan’s fourth case of mpox was reported on September 1, also in Peshawar, while the first three cases were detected at Peshawar airport. On Sunday, all four previously confirmed patients were discharged from isolation after testing negative for the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the outbreak of mpox, driven by the Clade 1b variant, a public health emergency of international concern. While the virus spreads through close contact, the WHO has reassured that mpox is not comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic, as much more is known about its transmission and control methods.