The health ministry on Friday confirmed at least one case of the mpox virus (previously monkeypox) in Pakistan, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities withdrew an earlier statement that three such patients had been detected in the province.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of the disease as a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant of the virus was identified.

A new form of the virus has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact. A case of the new variant was confirmed on Thursday in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent.

However, the WHO has advised against any travel restrictions to stop the spread of mpox.

KP’s health department said today that one mpox case had been confirmed in the area, withdrawing a previous statement that three mpox patients had been detected there this week on arrival from the United Arab Emirates.

Mardan District Health Officer (DHO) Javed Iqbal said the location of the confirmed mpox patient, a man the officer said had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, was unknown.

He had initially received tests and advice at a hospital in Peshawar, Dr Iqbal told Reuters, but later returned to his home a few hours away in Mardan and then went to another district.

“When we visited his home in Mardan, it was locked from outside and his neighbours told us that the family has left for Dir,” said the Mardan DHO.

“We approached our fellow colleagues of the health department in Dir district, but they couldn’t trace him even in Dir.”

Meanwhile, the health ministry said it was carrying out contact tracing of the patient it had identified, who they said was from Mardan. They were also boosting airport surveillance and monitoring with extra health personnel, the ministry said in a statement.

Health Ministry Spokesperson Sajid Shah said that contact tracing efforts for the infected individual had already commenced, with additional samples being collected from potential contacts.

Shah said so far they had no confirmation of the new variant, but the sequencing of the sample of the confirmed patient was under way.

“Once that’s done, we will be able to say what strain is this,” said Shah.

About stricter border surveillance, the ministry spokesperson said: “Health personnel across the country will be visiting airports to oversee the screening and surveillance systems, ensuring that protocols are effectively in place.

“As the situation evolves, health officials will continue to monitor developments closely, prioritising public health and safety across the nation,” Shah stated.

Coordinator to Prime Minister for Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath also addressed the urgency of the situation.

“We are monitoring the situation closely, moment by moment,” he stated while chairing a meeting convened to assess the situation regarding the confirmed case. He emphasised that Pakistan’s response actions to handle the mpox outbreak was adequate.

Dr Mukhtar reassured the public that there was a robust and comprehensive system in place for screening at airports, and the Border Health Services staff was in constant communication with provincial health authorities.

The meeting included Director General of Health Dr Shabana Saleem, the executive director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other medical experts, along with representatives from provincial governments joining via video link.

The WHO on Wednesday sounded its highest level of alert over the outbreak in Africa after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries.

There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023. This year alone, the disease has killed 548 people so far in the African country.

The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can kill, with children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, all at higher risk of complications.

In May 2022, the WHO declared mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The natural reservoir of the virus is unknown whilst various small mammals such as squirrels, monkeys and rodents are susceptible.

Mpox vaccine maker seeks approval for use in teens

Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic said it was seeking European approval to use its mpox vaccine in children aged 12 to 17, after the WHO declared the current virus surge a global public health emergency.

Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine is currently only approved for people 18 years and older.

“Children and adolescents are disproportionately affected by mpox in the ongoing outbreak in Africa, highlighting the importance and urgency to broaden the access to vaccines and therapies for this vulnerable population,” Bavarian Nordic chief executive Paul Chaplin said in a statement.

The company said it had presented the European Medicines Agency with clinical data from a study which showed “non-inferiority of immune responses from mpox/smallpox vaccination in adolescents and (a) similar safety profile compared to adults.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the vaccine an “emergency use authorisation” for adolescents during the 2022 global mpox outbreak.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that two more cases of mpox were detected in KP. The error is regretted.