ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday reported the year’s eighth case of mpox in a passenger who arrived from Saudi Arabia.

The 30-year-old labo­urer, who landed at the Isla­mabad Airport on Wednes­day, showed fever and other symptoms of the virus.

He was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, where he was confirmed as a positive case of mpox, an official of the National Institute of Health said.

The patient, a resident of Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was out of danger and admitted to the isolation ward, the official added.

“We have started contact tracing passengers who were sitting near the patient. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has also been informed to trace people where the labourer used to reside and work.”

All cases of mpox reported so far in passengers have been detected in passengers who arrived from abroad. There have been no cases of local transmission of the virus, according to officials.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the mpox an emergency of international concern on August 14.

The virus is categorised into two primary clades: Clade I and Clade II. The recent global outbreak from 2022 to 2023 was predominantly linked to Clade II, which is known to cause milder symptoms compared to Clade I.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was primarily associated with Clade Ib. As of now, there have been no reported cases of Clade I in Pakistan, the official said.

According to an NIH document, mpox — which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions — is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024