Pakistan has recorded its first cases of mpox, health officials confirmed today.
A mutated form of the rash-causing virus is currently spreading rapidly in Africa, killing an estimated 10 percent of those infected.
It is a descendant of the deadly clade 1 strain of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, and is different from the mild variant that spread to more than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, in 2022.
But Pakistan’s According to the public health service, it is not yet clear whether the three registered cases belong to the same virus strain and where the virus came from.
It comes just a day after Sweden reported its first case of the new deadly strain, which the first time it has been found outside Africa.
This map shows the areas where cases of the new mpox strain have been confirmed (shaded in red) and the countries where UK health officials say there is a risk of cases emerging.
A mutated form of the rash-causing virus is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing up to 10 percent of those infected. It is a descendant of the deadly clade 1 strain of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, and is different from the mild version that spread to more than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, in 2022.
On Thursday the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the ongoing MPOX outbreak a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.
A spokesperson for Pakistan’s health ministry said today: “The first case of mpox has been confirmed in Pakistan.”
Salim Khan, Director General of Health Services for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, added that two of the patients have been diagnosed with mpox.
The samples of a third patient have been sent to the National Health Institute in the capital Islamabad for confirmation. All three patients are being quarantined.
The latest data from the World Health Organization shows that more than 99,000 cases of mpox have been recorded worldwide since January 2022.
However, it is unclear exactly how many cases and deaths the new variant is causing. Older variants are still circulating.
The mutated form currently causing major concern among health experts, called clade Ib, kills about one in 20 adults who become infected, and as many as one in 10 children.
Infections have also been linked to an alarming rise in miscarriages in pregnant women.
Yesterday, Olivia Wigzell, director general of the Swedish Public Health Agency, told a press conference that the country’s first case of clade 1b was infected in a part of Africa where there was a large outbreak of the disease.
Most cases of the new mpox strain occur in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
More than 17,000 cases and 571 deaths have been recorded in Africa this year, officials say. an increase of 160 percent compared to the same period last year.
The city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo also has an international airport with frequent direct flights to Europe. Experts have previously warned that this is a possible route for the virus to enter a new continent.
Mpox, also called monkeypox, is spread from person to person through skin-to-skin contact.
This can happen through sex, or through simple touching, such as when caring for children. However, it can also be spread through secondary contact, such as sharing towels or bedding.
It causes characteristic bumpy lesions, as well as fever, pain and fatigue.
This map shows the location of mpox cases by country in the UK between January 2023 and the end of July this year
It is a far cry from the 2022 outbreak, when thousands of cases were recorded, mostly in London.
In a small number of cases, however, the disease can spread to the blood, lungs, and other parts of the body, where it can become life-threatening.
Another, less severe form of mpox, called clade II, caused major concern among health officials around the world in 2022 when the disease began to spread rapidly across several countries, mainly through sexual contact between gay and bisexual men.
However, the number of new infections gradually declined, thanks to increased awareness of the disease and an accelerated vaccination program.
At the time, nearly 4,000 cases were reported in the UK and NHS England vaccinated over 68,000 people against the disease with the smallpox vaccine. The vaccine works because the two viruses are closely related.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said yesterday it had “already planned” for cases in the UK.
According to Dr Meera Chand, deputy director of the UK’s Health Security Agency, the current threat to the UK from the new mpox variant is ‘currently considered to be low’.
But she added: ‘Planning is underway to be prepared for any cases we see in the UK.
‘This includes ensuring that clinicians are informed and can quickly identify cases, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for safe clinical care of people who have the infection and for preventing onward transmission.’
