Man hailing Punjab arrived from a gulf state and taken to the Pims after being suspected of carrying the virus
Web Desk
ISLAMABAD: A 44-year-old man, who hails from the Gujarat district in Punjab, has tested positive for monkeypox virus or mpox after arriving in Pakistan from a gulf state marking the seventh mpox case in the country this year and the sixth since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an emergency last month.
The patient, who landed at Islamabad Airport on September 14 (Saturday), was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) after being suspected of carrying the virus.
The health officials confirmed that samples sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) tested positive for mpox. The patient is reported to be in stable condition.
“This is the seventh confirmed case of mpox in Pakistan this year,” said a health official in the federal health ministry.
“Five previous cases were confirmed at the Khyber Medical University laboratory in Peshawar, while this latest patient is being treated in Islamabad,” the official said.
Mpox is a virus that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions and, while usually mild, it can kill. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are all at higher risk of complications.
Earlier on Wednesday, one more mpox case was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), taking the total tally of the virus to six in Pakistan, provincial Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah said
Moreover on Sunday, at least three passengers travelling to Karachi were suspected of monkeypox in a single day at the Jinnah International Airport, Geo News reported citing sources.
All three passengers returned to Pakistan from Middle Eastern countries, the sources added.
