Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mpox count has risen to 19 this year after a newly confirmed patient in Chitral, and doctors say the latest infections point to local spread rather than travel-related import. The Chitral patient had never gone abroad, matching a pattern in which the last five people diagnosed last week also had no foreign travel history. That shift sits against Mpox cases in Pakistan 2025 trends that already showed more infections than in 2024, with positives continuing into early 2026.
Local infections without travel history
Last week the provincial health department recorded four Mpox cases in one day, and none of those patients reported overseas travel; the group included a couple. A senior dermatologist said the newest patient may have caught the virus from someone already infected locally, noting that Mpox can spread through sexual contact and that wider screening could uncover more cases. Stigma around a sex-borne illness, the doctor added, leaves some people reluctant to seek care or testing, which can hide community-level spread.
Dermatologists also linked the provincial rise to earlier clustering elsewhere in the country. They said infections may have moved from Punjab or Karachi, where the disease had been more common, and recalled that Punjab—after a stretch without reported Mpox—announced more than 25 cases late last year, a surge they believe may have fed later detections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
What health authorities are doing
A health department account of the newest diagnoses said three patients were admitted to hospital and two were managing isolation at home. In March this year the department told public and private hospitals to stay alert for Mpox so suspected patients can be isolated and tested quickly. Officials say an advisory already circulated to hospitals covers case definitions, sampling, contact management, and outbreak response.
Guidelines from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad stress early detection and rapid referral as the most effective way to protect patients, health workers, and the wider public. Health officials said stronger surveillance and early containment are still needed. Public health agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) likewise urge sustained watchfulness, early recognition, infection control in clinics and hospitals, and prompt laboratory confirmation.
Officials describe a clear change in how cases appear: many earlier infections were tied to people returning from Gulf countries or flagged at airports and tested at the public health reference laboratory, whereas recent patients show no overseas travel and are treated as possible local transmission. That change, they said, raises concern that Mpox could become established in the community if containment is not tightened.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded two Mpox cases linked to travel from the Middle East.
- February 2025: The province’s first patient with no foreign travel history—treated as a locally infected case—was diagnosed.
- 2025 overall: National Institute of Health guidance noted Mpox cases in Pakistan 2025 rose compared with 2024; across 2025 and 2026 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa registered more than 24 cases in total.
- Late 2025: Punjab announced more than 25 Mpox cases after an earlier period without reported detections.
- March 2026: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department advised hospitals to remain vigilant for timely isolation and testing.
- Recent days: Four cases were logged in one day, five recent patients were assessed as locally infected, and a Chitral diagnosis took the year’s provincial tally to 19.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mein is saal Mpox ke 19 cases confirm ho chuke hain. Aakhri paanch mareezon ne bahar ka safar nahi kiya, is liye doctors kehte hain ke bimari ab local level par fail sakti hai. Teen mareez hospital mein admit hain aur do ghar mein isolation mein hain. Social stigma ki wajah se log test se katrate hain, lekin jaldi check-up se failao rokne mein madad milti hai.
