PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Days after the World Health Organization declared the MPOX epidemic a global health emergency, Pakistan's Ministry of Health said Friday it had confirmed its first case of a new MPOX variant that may be more easily transmitted.
The case, in a man who had recently returned from a Middle Eastern country, is the second case of the new variant identified outside Africa – the first was reported by Swedish authorities on Thursday.
The man who tested positive for MPOX is from Mardan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said it has instructed officials at border checkpoints and airports to conduct strict surveillance of passengers returning from overseas if they show any symptoms and take their samples for medical testing.
It is unclear which Middle Eastern countries the man had visited, and no cases of the new variant have been reported in the region yet. However, the United Arab Emirates has confirmed 16 cases of MPOX since 2022, according to the WHO. The UAE is particularly affected by cross-border spread because it is home to long-haul airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways and serves as a hub connecting East and West.
The WHO said Wednesday that this year's number of infections in Africa has already surpassed last year's figures, with more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths. More than 96% of all infections and deaths have occurred in Congo.
Dr. Irshad Roghani, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's public health director, said people infected with MPOX in Pakistan have only mild symptoms. “Contact tracing of infected people has been started and samples of more people are being taken,” he told The Associated Press.
Roghani said 300 people have been tested in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2022, of which two were found positive last year. This is the first confirmed case this year.
