Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: According to Dawn, the province has eight cases of mpox in 2025 after the health authority in the province verified a fresh case in the Khyber tribal area.

This is the Khyber district’s second mpox case. The virus was initially discovered by a resident in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year. According to Dawn, the latest case brings the total number of mpox cases documented in the area to 17.

As he was leaving for Dubai, the patient, a 31-year-old male, was inspected at Bacha Khan International Airport. Health officials suspected the person and took a sample, which was subsequently examined at Khyber Medical University’s (KMU) Public Health Reference Laboratory. According to The Dawn, the test verified that the mpox virus was present.

In order to stop the infection from spreading, the patient was immediately quarantined at Services Hospital in Peshawar after arriving in Pakistan on April 16. After confirmation, the health department instructed Khyber’s district health officer to carry out contact tracing and monitoring. Health professionals emphasized how crucial it is to isolate confirmed patients in hospital or home settings until follow-up testing confirms complete recovery.

Eight instances this year, seven in 2024, and two in 2023 make up the province’s total of 17 mpox cases since 2023. Travel from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where the virus is prevalent, is associated with the bulk of these infections.

At Bacha Khan International Airport, authorities have put strict screening procedures in place for travelers coming from these nations. According to the Dawn, suspected people are tested and segregated right away; those who test negative are freed, while those who test positive are kept separated.

Health professionals have commended the airport’s proactive screening initiatives, which have effectively detected every affected person before the illness could spread across the population. They emphasized that compared to other regions, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has had more success controlling the illness via airport inspections and prompt isolation.