Pakistan reports first case of deadly mpox virus: The recent announcement of the first mpox case in Pakistan this year comes amid heightened global concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously declared an international emergency due to the virus’s spread. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral illness that can cause symptoms such as fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. It’s important for health authorities to act swiftly in response to such cases to control the spread and prevent outbreaks.
“The affected person has come from a Gulf country,” a Ministry of Health statement said, adding the strain was yet to be confirmed.
Sweden’s Public Health Agency said on Thursday that it had registered a case of the Clade 1b subclade, the first to be diagnosed out of Africa.
The WHO this week declared the rapid spread of the new Clade 1b strain in Africa a public health emergency of international concern – the highest alarm it can sound.
The Pakistan patient is a 34-year-old man and is being treated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Irshad Roghani, director of public health there.
The WHO has recorded more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths so far this year in DR Congo, already exceeding last year’s total.
Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark, in monkeys kept for research. It was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now DR Congo.
The infectious disease is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by animals but can also spread human-to-human through close physical contact.
Mpox infections surged worldwide in May 2022, mostly affecting gay and bisexual men, due to the Clade 2b subclade.
