Karachi reports second mpox case in two days, Sindh’s 2026 tally rises to 43

• PCR test confirms mpox infection after patient develops body rashes, says hospital officials.
• 35-year-old patient currently receiving treatment at Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital.
• Karachi reports second mpox case in two days, taking city’s 2026 tally to 15.

KARACHI: Another mpox case has been reported in Karachi, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Sindh this year to 43, health authorities said.

The latest patient is a 35-year-old resident of Shah Faisal Colony who was brought to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital on Friday after developing rashes on his body, hospital officials said.

Doctors conducted an mpox test after observing the symptoms, with a PCR test subsequently confirming the infection.

The patient is currently receiving treatment at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital, according to the provincial health department.

The latest case is the second mpox infection reported in Karachi within two days. Karachi now accounts for 15 of Sindh’s 43 confirmed cases recorded this year.

Sindh had reported 41 mpox cases by September 4, when health officials confirmed the infection in a 19-year-old man who was brought to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital after developing rashes.

His PCR test returned positive.

Pakistan reported its first confirmed mpox case in April 2023 after the infection was detected in a traveller arriving from Saudi Arabia.

The World Health Organisation declared the spread of mpox a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024.

Health authorities confirmed the presence of the mpox clade 1b variant in Sindh and southern Punjab in April.

The variant is considered more transmissible and potentially more severe than some other strains.

Mpox is a viral disease that can spread through close contact with an infected person and through contaminated materials such as bedding, clothing and needles.

Symptoms can include fever, chills, exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness, often followed by a painful or itchy rash and raised lesions.