Pakistan reports first case of deadly Mpox virus

This week, the WHO declared the rapid spread of the new Clade 1b strain in Africa an international health emergency – the highest level of alert it can trigger.

The Pakistani patient is a 34-year-old man being treated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Irshad Roghani, the country's public health director.

“This infection … is the first confirmed case we have this year,” he said. “We have sent samples to Islamabad for genetic sequencing of the strain.”

The WHO has registered more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo so far this year, already higher than last year's figure.

The virus, formerly known as monkeypox, was discovered in Denmark in 1958 in monkeys kept for research purposes. It was first detected in humans in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The infectious disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted from animals to humans. However, transmission from person to person is also possible through close physical contact.

It causes fever, muscle aches and large, boil-like skin lesions.

In May 2022, Mpox infections increased dramatically worldwide, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men due to the Clade 2b subgroup.

The WHO declared a public health emergency that lasted from July 2022 to May 2023. The crisis has now largely subsided, having caused around 140 deaths among around 90,000 infected people.

However, the subgroup of group 1b leads to more severe disease courses than group 2b and has a higher mortality rate.