K-P puts hospitals on high alert as Mpox cases rise

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department on Thursday placed all public and private hospitals across the province on high alert following a noticeable increase in Mpox cases.

Health officials said that 26 mpox infections have been reported in the province over the past 12 months. Among the confirmed cases, 18 patients were men and six were women. Authorities issued an advisory directing hospitals to ensure prompt isolation of suspected cases and rigorous testing to prevent further spread of the virus.

The alert was issued after an increase in referrals of suspected patients and a growing number of laboratory-confirmed cases detected through the province’s surveillance and diagnostic systems. Officials noted that cases rose significantly during 2025 compared with the previous year and that additional infections have continued to surface in early 2026.

Initially, most mpox cases in the province were linked to travel from Gulf countries, where infected individuals tested positive upon arrival and were subsequently deported or treated. However, health authorities now report signs of local transmission within Pakistan.

Several recent cases are believed to have originated from Punjab, which had remained largely unaffected earlier but reported more than 25 infections late last year—a development that may have contributed to the surge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The first locally transmitted case without any international travel history was identified in February 2025. By comparison, only two cases—both imported from the Middle East—were recorded in the province in 2023.

Health officials expressed concern over the changing epidemiological pattern, particularly the absence of travel history in many recent patients and difficulties in tracing close contacts in several cases. These factors have raised fears of possible community transmission if containment measures are not strengthened.

Doctors have been instructed to remain vigilant and suspect mpox in patients presenting with symptoms such as distinctive skin rashes or lesions, fever, body aches and swollen lymph nodes, especially in those with close contact with confirmed or suspected patients.

Hospitals have also been directed to immediately isolate suspected cases upon arrival and enforce strict infection prevention and control protocols until laboratory results are confirmed.

Globally, mpox cases continue to be reported in several regions, prompting continued monitoring and preventive guidance from organisations such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These guidelines emphasise enhanced surveillance, early diagnosis, strict infection control measures and rapid laboratory testing to limit transmission.

Provincial health authorities stressed that swift action and vigilance are essential to prevent wider outbreaks in the region.