The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has reported two additional cases of monkeypox (mpox), bringing the total number of cases in the province to five this year. The newly affected individuals include a 42-year-old man and a 20-year-old youth, both residents of Peshawar. While the younger patient contracted the virus locally, the older patient had returned from Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Both patients are now in isolation at their homes after visiting Khyber Teaching Hospital with suspected symptoms. Health officials confirmed the mpox diagnoses following tests. According to Ehtesham Ali, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Health, none of their family members have shown any symptoms of the virus.
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Earlier, a case involving a woman initially thought to be locally transmitted was discovered to have been contracted from her husband, who had recently returned from abroad. The woman remains in isolation, and none of her family members, including her six children and two cousins, have tested positive for mpox.
This follows a string of mpox cases reported earlier in Kohat, Khyber, and North Waziristan. In February, the province saw its first confirmed local transmission case, involving a woman whose husband had returned from a Gulf country. Despite showing symptoms, the husband did not seek immediate medical attention.
Health officials continue to urge the public to remain vigilant, highlighting the importance of seeking medical help if symptoms of mpox—such as fever, body aches, and rashes—arise.
