The monkeypox virus, or mpox, detected in Pakistan last week is not the same as the type spreading in Africa, Pakistani health officials said Monday (19/8).
Health officials determined that the cases in Pakistan could be classified as Clade 2b, Pakistan's health ministry said in a statement.
“Currently, the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is primarily caused by Clade 1b. Notably, to date, there are no reported cases of Clade 1b in Pakistan,” the statement said.
However, Swedish officials last week said the Clade 1b subclade had been detected in a single individual, the first case linked to the African outbreak to be detected outside Africa.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week declared the rise in mpox cases in the DRC and other countries in Africa a public health emergency of international concern.
“The emergence of a new mpox group, its rapid spread in eastern Congo, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are deeply concerning,” Tedros said. “Along with other mpox-type outbreaks in Congo and other countries in Africa, it is clear that a concerted international response is needed to stop this outbreak and save lives.”
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a virus endemic in several African countries. Some 18,737 suspected or confirmed cases of mpox have been reported in Africa since the beginning of this year in 13 countries, and it has killed more than 500 people.
The WHO last week raised its highest alert for an outbreak in Africa after cases in Congo spread to neighboring countries. There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mostly among children, in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023. Symptoms include fever, body aches, weakness, headache and rash.
There are currently no medications specifically approved to treat MPOX infections. For most patients with MPOX who have intact immune systems and no skin disease, supportive care and pain control will help them recover without medical treatment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The virus can spread through close contact with an infected person, according to the WHO. That contact can include touching, kissing, having sex, and talking or breathing near someone who is infected.
WHO says the virus can also survive “on clothing, bedding, towels, objects, electronics and surfaces that have been touched by someone infected with mpox.” (uh)
Some of the information in this report comes from Reuters danAgence France-Presse.
