Pakistan Reports Fifth Mpox Case, Peshawar Emerges As Epicentre

Pakistan reported its fifth case of Mpox virus on Sunday, with the country's health authority tagging the district of Peshawar as an emerging epicentre for the virus. This is the fourth case reported since Aug. 14, the day when the World Health Organisation declared Mpox a global health emergency.

"Peshawar appears to be turning into an epicentre for Mpox cases," Federal Director General of Health Dr Shabana Saleem said on Sunday. "This trend is alarming, and we are doubling our efforts to prevent further spread."

According to Pakistani television news channel Geo News, the latest patient, who is a 47-year-old man, tested positive after being isolated by the country's Border Health Services staff on Aug. 29. The patient's travel history showed he had returned from the Middle East.

The Federal Director General highlighted that all recent cases have showed a history of travel to the Gulf, raising concerns about the virus' spread from travelers arriving from the region.

Authorities have ramped up preventive measures to contain the Mpox virus, and screening protocols have now been enforced at all airports of Pakistan, according to the report.

"We are not taking any chances. Effective screening systems are operational across the country," Saleem assured, noting the government's commitment to safeguarding public health.

Thailand became the first Asian country to report an Mpox case on Aug. 21. The Thailand patient also had a travel history from Africa. Meanwhile, African countries have already been witnessing a streak of Mpox cases, with Democractic Republic of the Congo reporting around 1,000 new cases last week.

On Sunday, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund also announced the issuance of an emergency tender for the procurement of Mpox vaccines, asking countries to secure vaccines with maximum cases of the disease. In India, Serum Institute of India has also announced the development of Mpox vaccines.

This happened days after the WHO launched a global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to tackle the Mpox outbreak seen in African countries. The plan will include strategic vaccination focusing on individuals with higher risks, including people in close contact of recent cases and also of healthcare workers to break transmission chains.

Among preventive measures taken in India, airports and ports at borders have already been alerted about screening of passengers travelling to the country, with Mumbai also reserving a 14-bed ward for the same. Companies such as Siemens Healthineers are also pushing out RT-PCR kits for Mpox testing.

On Aug. 30, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally launched the ErbaMDx Mpox RT-PCR kit of the Visakhapatnam-based Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone.

However, the government is of the view that risk of Mpox spread is still low in India.