Eighth mpox case confirmed in Pakistan

Patient is experiencing mild symptoms and is expected to recover soon, says health ministry spokesperson

The health ministry on Friday confirmed the country’s eighth case of the mpox virus this year, involving a 32-year-old patient who had recently returned from the Gulf.

The patient has been isolated and is receiving treatment, according to Health Ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah. “He is experiencing mild symptoms and is expected to recover soon,”

Pakistan reported its first mpox case in August and has since implemented rigorous screening protocols at airports and border crossings to curb the virus's spread.

While a mutated strain of mpox, clade I, prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a global health emergency in August, Pakistan has not yet reported any cases of this new variant.

Clade I first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since spread internationally, prompting heightened monitoring and preventive measures.