Rising Mpox Cases in Pakistan and Kenya

Pakistan has confirmed its fifth mpox case, detected in a 51-year-old man at Peshawar airport, with all cases so far involving individuals returning from abroad. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has reported the majority of these cases, with no local transmissions documented. In response, Pakistan has implemented stringent screening and preventive measures at international airports. Concurrently, Kenya has reported its fourth mpox case and is increasing surveillance and contact tracing. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the recent mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, highlighting the rapid spread of a new variant, Clade 1b.