Authorities at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport have identified three passengers, including a female, suspected of having mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), as they returned to Pakistan from Middle Eastern countries. According to sources, these passengers have been transferred to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital, where they will remain in isolation until their test results are confirmed.
This brings further attention to the growing mpox concerns in Pakistan, with a total of six confirmed cases so far, mostly reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Mpox, a virus known to cause flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, poses a heightened risk to vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in August 2023, as cases surged globally. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been particularly hard-hit, with over 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths reported since January 2023.