ISLAMABAD: Health officials confirmed on Monday that a recent case of mpox reported in Pakistan is not related to the new strain spreading through Africa. The diagnosis, made last week in a 34-year-old man who had recently returned from a Gulf country, was identified as Clade 2b, distinct from the Clade 1b strain currently emerging in Africa.
The health ministry clarified in a statement that while the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is primarily associated with Clade 1b, Pakistan has yet to report any cases of this particular strain. The case in question involves Clade 2b, which was responsible for the global surge in mpox infections beginning in May 2022, particularly affecting gay and bisexual men. Globally, mpox cases surged due to Clade 2b, but reported cases have since declined. However, the World Health Organization recently declared a public health emergency of international concern regarding the rapid spread of Clade 1b in Africa—the highest level of alert.
As of last week, Sweden’s Public Health Agency identified a case of Clade 1b outside Africa for the first time. The epidemic in the DRC, the epicenter of the Clade 1b outbreak, has been severe, with approximately 16,000 cases and 548 deaths reported. Despite the high incidence in Africa, the new strain has not yet reached Pakistan, where the reported mpox case remains associated with the previously identified Clade 2b.
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