KARACHI (The Thursday Times) — Mpox cases in Sindh have passed 100 this year after a woman tested positive and was moved to intensive care in Karachi, prompting the provincial health department to review its surveillance measures.
The woman was admitted to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital at Nipa two days ago, and the infection was confirmed by a PCR test, The Express Tribune reported. Seven mpox patients are being treated at the hospital. Health department figures show 98 cases and 12 deaths in the province so far this year, and sources said the latest case had taken the total past 100.
Infant among the dead
The 12th death was a 53-day-old baby in Karachi who had been circumcised at a hospital in Malir, Arab News reported. Authorities sealed the hospital after a report from the district health officer. Nineteen cases were reported between late September and October, and experts have warned of local transmission.
Review of surveillance
A meeting chaired by the director general of health services in Sindh reviewed arrangements for spotting suspected cases early, testing them, tracing and monitoring their contacts and reporting infections promptly. Officials also discussed tightening infection prevention and control in public and private hospitals and improving coordination between hospitals, laboratories and the health department.
Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and causes a painful rash, fever and swollen lymph nodes. Sindh confirmed its first case in March 2025, in a Malir man with no recent travel history.
