Pakistan Confirms Third M-Pox Case at Airport

Pakistan has confirmed its third case of the Mpox virus at Peshawar airport, involving a 51-year-old man from Orakzai who is currently stable and receiving treatment. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Health Director, Dr. Irshad Ali Roghani, noted that another suspected case is under examination. Medical personnel had previously identified two travelers with symptoms at Bacha Khan International Airport, both of whom arrived on the same flight from Jeddah. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the Mpox outbreak a public health emergency due to the newly identified Clade 1b variant, which spreads easily through close contact, although it is not as contagious as Covid-19. Pakistan's health ministry indicated that the initial case in the country was of the Clade 2 variant, and no locally transmitted cases have been reported to date. The health department has implemented an integrated surveillance and response system to monitor the situation further.