Mpox virus claims life of one more child

Authorities intensify surveillance as death toll rises to 12

KARACHI:

One more child has died of mpox in Sindh, raising the province's death toll from the viral disease to 12 this year, as health authorities intensified surveillance, contact tracing and treatment measures following seven new cases reported over the past week.

The total number of confirmed mpox cases in Sindh has reached 98, prompting the provincial health department to direct public and private hospitals to strictly implement infection prevention and control protocols to contain the spread of the virus.

According to a spokesperson for the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital at NIPA, a child undergoing treatment for mpox died at the facility. The patient had been transferred from a private hospital a few days earlier and was receiving medical care. The spokesperson attributed the child's death to mpox.

Dermatologist and Additional Director of the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital, Regal, Dr Abdullah Yahya, said mpox was a contagious viral disease that could spread through close physical contact with an infected person, particularly through direct contact with skin rashes, blisters and lesions.

He explained that the virus could also spread through contaminated clothing, towels, bedding and other personal belongings used by infected individuals.

Early diagnosis, isolation of infected patients and strict adherence to medical guidelines were essential to preventing further transmission, he said.

Dr Yahya said, infants, individuals with weak immune systems and patients suffering from other serious medical conditions were particularly vulnerable to severe illness and complications.