Mpox virus detected in Pakistan, health authorities say

(Reuters) – Pakistan has detected three patients with the mpox virus, the health department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said on Friday.

The viral infection was detected in the patients on their arrival from the United Arab Emirates, the department said. The World Health Organization has declare recent outbreak of the disease as a public health emergency of international concern after a new variant of the virus has been identified.

Pakistan has had cases of mpox previously and it was not immediately clear which variant was detected in the patients.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)