First mpox case of 2025 reported in Peshawar

The first case of mpox this year was reported on Saturday when a 35-year-old travelled to Peshawar from Dubai, health authorities said.

According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health adviser Ehtesham Ali, the public health team was dispatched to Peshawar Airport as soon as the case was reported.

“The team has transferred the patient to Police Services Hospital for treatment and samples have been sent to the Public Health Reference Lab,” he said in a statement from his office. The lab confirmed that the 35-year-old man was infected.

The adviser added in that statement that he wrote a letter to the Peshawar airport manager requesting details of those who came into contact with the infected traveller.

“As soon as the information about the passengers is received, the concerned DHOs (District Health Officers) will be informed for contact tracing,” Ali said.

According to the health adviser, 10 cases of mpox have been reported in the province thus far. “Two cases were reported in 2023 and seven in 2024,” he said. “This is the first case in 2025.”

The adviser appealed to the public to be careful while maintaining social distancing to avoid spreading the illness.

All cases of mpox reported so far in passengers have been detected in passengers who arrived from abroad. There have been no cases of local transmission of the virus, according to officials.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared mpox an emergency of international concern on August 14, 2024.