Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported its third case of monkeypox (mpox), bringing Pakistan’s total number of cases to four. The latest case was detected in a passenger returning to the country from abroad.
According to the KP Director of Public Health, the patient, who hails from Orakzai, tested positive for mpox at the Public Health Laboratory after showing symptoms upon arrival at the airport. He has since been transferred to Peshawar’s Services Hospital for treatment.
This development comes as the Federal Ministry of Health intensifies preventive measures in response to the global mpox outbreak. New guidelines have been issued, mandating screening, isolation, and thermal scanning at all international airports in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has also been instructed to enforce preventive measures for all inbound flights. This includes regular inspections and audits to ensure compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Border Health Services (BHS) has taken charge of coordinating mpox-related operations, including the isolation and safe transport of suspected cases to designated medical facilities.
The urgency of these measures follows the global spread of a new mpox variant, which has raised concerns due to its ease of transmission through close contact. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that mpox is related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus and can spread through direct contact and contaminated materials such as sheets, clothing, and needles.
Initial symptoms of mpox include fever, chills, muscle pain, swollen glands, exhaustion, headache, and muscle weakness, followed by a painful or itchy rash with raised lesions that scab over and heal within weeks.
Of the four mpox cases reported in Pakistan, three have occurred in KP—specifically in Mardan, Nowshera, and Orakzai. All cases were detected in passengers returning from abroad, with no domestic transmissions reported.
The KP Director of Public Health confirmed that the latest patient’s condition is stable, and he is currently receiving treatment at the Services Hospital in Peshawar.
