Pakistan has reported its first Monkey pox case of the year after a man who came from Saudi Arabia was tested positive for the virus, the Ministry of Health confirmed, as reported by ARY News.
According to ARY News, the 34-year-old man reached Pakistan's Peshawar on August 3, and later, he started experiencing symptoms of the virus and rushed to Khyber Medical University for diagnosis.
The dignosis was confirmed by the hospital on August 13 after the man was tested positive for M-pox, said the news channel.
Notably, Pakistan reported nine cases of M-pox last year, all among the travellers who arrived from middle east and other countries.
The World Health Organisation, meanwhile, has declared Monkey pox a global health emergency, provided 15 African nations are currently reeling through the deadly cases of the virus.
Earlier on Thursday, Sweden confirmed its first case of M-pox, raising the alarm bells for Europe.
“A person who sought care in Stockholm has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent,” said an official statement by Sweden's Health Agency.
From January 2023, over 27,000 cases of the virus have been reported worldwide along with 1,100 deaths. In addition, 934 new cases were reported in June this year, with most cases coming from the African Region.
M-pox, also known as Monkey Pox, first came to light in 1958 when there were 'pox-like' diseases reported among monkeys. However, cases were seen in humans, especially ones who had close contacts with affected animals.
Symptoms of the virus include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.
