Monkeypox diagnosed patient flees in KP

The first reported monkeypox (mpox)  patient from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has gone missing from his home in Mardan, according to media reports.

The individual, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, was diagnosed with the mpox virus in Peshawar.

However, upon arrival, the team found the house locked, and further inquiries with the District Health Officer (DHO) in the patient’s native area of Dir revealed that the patient was not present there either.

However, health ministry and relevant authorities have intensified their investigation and response efforts.

The WHO has declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has spread to neighboring countries.

Pakistan has had cases of mpox, also called monkeypox, previously. It was not immediately clear which variant was detected in the patients.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mpox has been reported in 122 countries, with 99,518 confirmed cases and 208 deaths to date.

Mpox can spread through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. While usually mild, it can be fatal in rare cases.