A third case of monkeypox in Pakistan, and the first in Sindh's provincial capital Karachi, was reported on Thursday, according to Aaj News. The case was diagnosed in a patient at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi.
The patient has been placed in quarantine.
In a tweet, the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed that this was the third case of monkeypox in Pakistan, and the first in Karachi.
"This case is a young male, who traveled from abroad and was detected with symptoms at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi by Border Health Services-Pakistan. He has been isolated since the appearance of monkeypox symptoms and his contact tracing is underway," the NIH stated.
"The first two cases reported in Islamabad are now completely stable and recovered from the infection," it added.
Pakistan confirms first case of monkeypox
The other two cases were reported in Islamabad over the past few days. Airports nationwide have been put on high alert after detecting the virus in the directions of the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination.
The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak constitutes a global health emergency, the World Health Organization had warned earlier.
First identified in monkeys, the virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person. Until last year, the viral disease rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic.
But reports of a handful of cases in the United Kingdom in May 2022 signaled that the outbreak had moved into Europe.
Monkeypox threat: People asked to adopt precautionary measures
Monkeypox is a virus that typically causes mild symptoms including fever, aches, and pus-filled skin lesions. People tend to recover within two to four weeks, according to the WHO.
The fatality rate in preceding monkeypox outbreaks in Africa of the strain currently spreading has been around 1%. Still, so far this outbreak appears to be less lethal in the non-endemic countries, many of which have more robust healthcare infrastructure.
Scientists are trying to determine what caused the initial spate of cases and whether anything about the virus has changed.
Experts say that increased global travel and climate change have generally accelerated the emergence and spread of viruses.
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