New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Another case of the deadly ampox was reported in Pakistan on Sunday, taking the total number of those infected with the virus to four.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month declared the infectious disease a global health emergency.
According to media reports, a 47-year-old Peshawar resident was found infected with the virus after returning from the Gulf region and is currently in isolation.
The patient was confirmed to have ampox infection by the country’s public health agency.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director Public Health Dr Irshad Ali Roghani said the man’s condition was stable and he was undergoing treatment at the Police and Services Hospital (PSH), the Dawn newspaper reported.
“No local cases have been reported so far,” he said.
He further said the province’s health department has “created an integrated surveillance and response system for ampox.”
On 16 August, Pakistan reported its first suspected case of ampox in a 34-year-old man who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia. The health ministry clarified that it was the clade 2 strain, which was also responsible for the 2022 outbreak.
Peshawar airport authorities confirmed the second case in the country last week.
The third case was detected on Saturday after medical staff at the Bacha Khan International Airport detected symptoms of the ampox virus in two passengers.
Federal Director General of Health Dr Shabana Saleem said that “this is the fifth ampox case reported in Pakistan this year and the fourth since the WHO declared ampox a global health emergency.”
Salim stressed the need for vigilance especially among travellers arriving from Gulf countries, reports Tribune Express.
Although the type of Mpox cases is still unknown, authorities have enhanced screening protocols at airports across the country.
The new infections come at a time when Africa is grappling with another outbreak of amphibians, mainly caused by the more deadly clade IB variant.
Meanwhile, three more cases have been reported in the Philippines, bringing the number of active cases this year to eight.
Two cases were detected in Metro Manila and one in the Calabarzon region, the Manila Times reported.
The health ministry said all three cases belong to the mild MPXV clade 2 variant.
–IANS
AKS/AS
