K-P reports four new mpox cases

Health authorities step up contact tracing as tally tops 18

PESHAWAR:

Four new mpox cases have been reported in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, taking the provincial tally for the year to 18 and prompting health authorities to trace the patients' contacts amid concerns about ocal transmission.

None of the patients, including one woman and three men, has a reported history of international travel, the health department said.

Samples sent to the Public Health Reference Laboratory at Khyber Medical University confirmed the infections.

Two patients are from Nowshera, one from Peshawar and one from Mardan. All four have been advised to isolate at home to prevent further spread.

One patient has died and 13 have recovered from mpox in the province this year, according to the health department. The first case was reported on January 9.

People with mpox are infectious and can pass the disease on to others until all sores have healed and a new layer of skin has formed.

Children, pregnant people and people with weak immune systems are at risk for complications from mpox.

Typically for mpox, fever, muscle aches and sore throat appear first. The mpox rash begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet and evolves over 2-4 weeks in stages – macules, papules, vesicles, pustules. Lesions dip in the centre before crusting over. Scabs then fall off.

Lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) is a classic feature of mpox. Some people can be infected without developing any symptoms.

In the context of the global outbreak of mpox which began in 2022 (caused mostly by Clade IIb virus), the illness begins differently in some people.

In just over a half of cases, a rash may appear before or at the same time as other symptoms and does not always progress over the body. The first lesion can be in the groin, anus, or in or around the mouth.

People with mpox can become very sick. For example, the skin can become infected with bacteria leading to abscesses or serious skin damage.