One case of mpox virus detectedin Pakistan, European agency raises alert against it

Pakistan has confirmed at least one case of the mpox virus, shortly after Sweden reported an infection with a more contagious and dangerous variant connected to a recent outbreak in Africa. Pakistan’s Ministry of Health said on Friday that they do not yet know which strain of the mpox virus caused the confirmed case.



Irshad Roghani, the public health director in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the 34-year-old patient is being treated, said that samples have been sent to Islamabad to identify which variant of the virus the patient has. 

Meanwhile, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) raised its mpox risk level from "low" to "moderate" on Friday, warning that more cases could be imported. This followed Sweden’s announcement of finding a more dangerous variant of the virus, called Clade 1, in a patient. 

ECDC's director, Pamela Rendi Wagner, said that because Europe and Africa are closely connected, there may be more cases of Clade 1 brought into Europe. In response, France has put its public health system on "maximum alert" due to concerns about the virus.

Clade 1, which spreads more easily through close contact, has caused a deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since September. The case in Sweden is the first time this variant has been found outside Africa, according to Sweden’s Public Health Agency. Epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen mentioned that the patient in Sweden was infected during a visit to the part of Africa experiencing a major outbreak of mpox Clade 1.

Health Emergency 


The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency on Wednesday due to the spread of Clade 1 in Africa, following a surge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has now affected Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

The WHO reported that more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths from mpox have occurred in Africa this year, already surpassing last year’s numbers. Over 96 percent of these cases and deaths were in the DRC.

After Sweden reported a case of the new strain, the WHO stated that it shows how connected our world is, and more cases of the new strain in Europe are likely.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against imposing travel restrictions or closing borders to stop the spread of mpox, stating that these measures "don’t work and should be avoided."

Reporting from London, Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull explained that the WHO's declaration was meant to encourage governments to release funding for research, strengthen health systems, and speed up the implementation of necessary measures.

European epidemiologists are warning that although only one case has been detected in Sweden, this likely means there are other undetected cases, which raises the possibility of rapid international transmission.
Pakistan’s Health Ministry has instructed officials at border crossings and airports to closely monitor travelers and collect samples for medical tests if they notice any symptoms of the disease in passengers returning from abroad.

The virus causes flu-like symptoms, pus-filled lesions, and muscle pain. Although the disease is usually mild, it can be deadly, particularly for children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, who are at higher risk of complications.