Three cases of the Mpox virus, previously known as monkeypox, have been detected in Pakistan, according to the health department in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday. However, it is yet to be established which variants the patients have been infected with, reported Reuters.
This comes after Sweden recorded the first case of the contagious new variant of mpox outside the African continent yesterday. According to a Reuters report, the person was infected during a stay in an area of Africa where a major outbreak of mpox Clade I is currently afoot.
Mpox was detected in Pakistan in patients who recently arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa director general of health services, two patients have been confirmed to have been infected by the virus, while the samples of the third patient have been sent for confirmation to the National Health Institute in Islamabad. All three of the patients have been quarantined at present.
As many as 27,000 cases and over 1,100 deaths, mostly children, have been reported in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023.
Mpox is a viral disease caused by the Monkeypox virus, part of the Orthopoxvirus genus. The virus was first discovered in 1958 during outbreaks of a “pox-like” illness in monkeys. Historically, human cases were primarily reported in central and West Africa, usually linked to close contact with infected animals, according to AP.
While Mpox belongs to the same viral family as smallpox, it generally results in milder symptoms. Infected individuals often develop a rash that appears on the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth, or near the genital areas. The rash progresses to form pustules (large white or yellow pus-filled pimples) and scabs before eventually healing.
Additional symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes as the body attempts to combat the virus. In rare instances, Mpox can be fatal.
Notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a global health emergency two days ago amid increasing cases of the disease in Africa.