World

Pakistan Reports Three Mpox Cases As WHO Declares Global Health Emergency

Pakistan has identified three cases of Mpox, including two newly confirmed cases, according to reports released on Friday.

This development comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa CDC have classified the outbreak as a global health emergency.

A 34-year-old man who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia initially reported the case.

Authorities confirmed two additional Mpox cases in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, raising concerns about the disease’s spread.

As of April 2023, Pakistan has documented 11 Mpox cases and one death.

Authorities have quarantined the new patients, but they have not yet determined if they carry the more dangerous clade 1b strain of Mpox, linked to the outbreak affecting around 13 countries in Africa.

On Thursday, health authorities in Sweden confirmed their first case of clade 1b, marking its spread outside Africa.

The WHO warns that this could lead to more cases in Europe, which reported around 300 Mpox cases linked to clade IIb during the 2022 outbreak.

Since the outbreak began in January 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reported approximately 27,000 Mpox cases and over 1,100 deaths, with 548 of those fatalities occurring in 2024 alone.

The disease has also spread to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Mpox, which can cause symptoms such as pus-filled lesions, fever, and muscle aches lasting from 2 to 4 weeks, is transmitted through contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials.

The current outbreak, driven by the novel and more virulent clade 1b, is more severe than the clade II strain responsible for last year’s infections.

Clade 1b causes higher severity, increased mortality, and affects children more due to its primary transmission through household contacts.

Also Read: Hezbollah Targets Israeli Bases With Rockets; Israel Responds With Airstrikes

Mankrit Kaur

Recent Posts

Tulsi Gabbard Backs India’s Hunt For Pahalgam Terror Attack Perpetrators

United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard on Friday expressed strong support for…

29 mins ago

World Leaders Head To Rome For funeral Of Pope Francis

Indian President Droupadi Murmu will also attend, representing India alongside Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister…

2 hours ago

Centre Tells Supreme Court Waqf Act Amendments Aim To Stop Land Encroachment

The Centre told the Supreme Court that it amended the Waqf Act, 1995, to stop…

3 hours ago

PM Modi, Amit Shah Mourn Passing of Dr K Kasturirangan; Hail His Contributions To Science & Education

PM Modi and Amit Shah mourn the passing of Dr K Kasturirangan, praising his leadership…

5 hours ago

Rahul Gandhi Meets Pahalgam Terror Victims In Kashmir; Supports Govt’s Action Against Attackers

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Kashmir on Friday and met civilians injured in the…

5 hours ago

Amit Shah Directs Chief Ministers To Identify Pakistani Nationals; India Suspends Indus Water Treaty

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday urged Chief Ministers to identify and promptly deport…

6 hours ago