KARACHI: Health officials in Pakistan’s Sindh province have issued an alert after confirming 14 monkey pox (mpox) cases this year, including infections linked to five newborn deaths, according to local media reports.
Cases detected in Karachi in patients without a travel history have raised concerns about local transmission.
Most infections have been concentrated in Khairpur district, where 12 cases were reported, while two patients were identified in Karachi, The Nation newspaper reported Saturday, citing provincial health authorities.
The five newborn deaths occurred in Khairpur, with officials saying the infants were already vulnerable due to weakened immune systems and that mpox isn’t typically fatal.
A second case in Karachi without a travel history has prompted officials to investigate whether the virus is spreading within the city, Pakistan Today reported Friday.
The patient, a 20-year-old, is in stable condition at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital, the newspaper said, citing authorities who added that close contacts are being monitored.
The virus strain involved in the Sindh outbreak hasn’t been publicly identified. Previous cases sequenced in Pakistan have belonged to the clade IIb lineage linked to the global outbreak.
Transmission concern
The cluster in Sindh, a province of about 55 million people, underscores concerns that mpox in Pakistan may be shifting from sporadic imported infections to localised transmission, particularly in densely populated areas where weaknesses in surveillance and infection control could allow the virus to spread.
Health officials have set up isolation wards in major and district hospitals across the province and urged people to seek medical care if they develop symptoms such as rash, fever or throat irritation, Pakistan Today said.
Samples from suspected cases are being tested at Aga Khan University Hospital and Dow University, with results typically available within two days, The Nation said.
The outbreak has been most acute in neonatal units in Khairpur, where authorities sealed affected wards after identifying lapses in infection control, Pakistan Today reported, citing health experts who said contaminated equipment and poor hygiene may have contributed to the spread among newborns.
The World Health Organisation has offered vaccines for targeted use in high-risk groups, including health-care workers and close contacts, The News Pakistan reported last week, adding that officials say the outbreak remains at an early stage. - Bloomberg
