Second case of Monkeypox confirmed in Pakistan Peshawar Airport: Reports

The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of Monkeypox last week as a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant of the mpox virus, Clade 1b was identified.

The new variant has triggered a lot of concern, the reason being that with the ease of which it spreads through routine close contact. However, the mpox is not going to result in another pandemic because much is known about the virus and the means to control it.

Pak Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health has stated, “A second case of Monkeypox has been reported in Pakistan, which has come from a Gulf country.” He added, “The health desk at the Peshawar airport shifted the patient to a hospital.”

As of now, it’s not confirmed yet that the virus strain of the case has been confirmed or not. Pakistan confirmed its first case of mpox earlier this week was of clade 2 variety and that no cases of the clade 1b strain of the disease have been diagnosed till now. 

Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed went on to say that the health ministry was ensuring continuous monitoring of the situation through an effective system of screening and surveillance at all the domestic and international airports. He added, “The Staff of Border Health Services were engaged at airports and entry points for scrutiny of suspected cases and to ensure serious steps to keep the public safe from epidemics.”

The individual who has been infected with the virus, has been identified as a resident of Azad Kashmir and was working as a labourer in the Middle East. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has issued an urgent advisory concerning the outbreak, and has aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current national and international situation. It has also tried to provide assistance on prevention, detection, and response strategies.

The Monkeypox was first recorded in January 2023 in Congo resulting in 27000 cases and more than 1100 deaths in the country.