Pakistan’s health ministry confirmed a second case of mpox on Friday in a man who had traveled to the South Asian nation from a Gulf nation and was screened at an airport.
The World Health Organization last week declared a global health emergency over the spread of a new mutated strain of mpox named clade I. Pakistani health officials confirmed the first mpox case on Aug. 15 but said it was of an older, milder variant called clade II. Clade I has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact. The emergence of the new strain has been linked to a growing outbreak in Africa.
“A second case of mpox has been reported in Pakistan,” the health ministry said on Friday. “A person traveling back from a Gulf country tested positive with symptoms.”
A health desk established at Peshawar Airport in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had transferred the patient to a hospital after he tested positive during an airport screening, the health ministry said. Health Coordinator Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said the ministry was continuously monitoring the situation and had an “effective system” of screening and surveillance at all airports.
Pakistani authorities said on Thursday they had placed airports on alert and strengthened screening systems at various entry points out of the country.
The mpox virus is primarily found in Central and West Africa, where it is transmitted from animals such as rodents and primates to humans. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with body fluids, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials like bedding. The disease is characterized by fever, swollen lymph nodes and a distinctive rash.