MPOX IN PAKISTAN: A CALL FOR VIGILANCE AND GLOBAL HEALTH SOLIDARITY

Authors

  • Babar Tasneem Shaikh Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, Islamabad http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2056-4132
  • Muhammad Ahmed Abdullah Health Services Academy, Islamabad
  • Muhammad Wasif Malik National Institute of Health, Islamabad
  • Muhammad Salman National Institute of Health, Islamabad

Abstract

Background

With 11 cases and one death in 2024, the Mpox virus was by and large under control in Pakistan as the country followed the screening and surveillance guidelines when Mpox was declared a global emergency. The screening of suspected patients is being done across the country, and those showing symptoms are being sent to isolation wards in hospitals to avoid local transmission of the virus. A recent report published on community-based Mpox and sexually transmitted disease surveillance using discarded condoms in the global south presents an innovative approach to disease monitoring that has significant implications for global health security.[i] This new discovery presents another urgency for Pakistan to deal with in a population which has several high-risk groups involved in unsafe sexual practices. The urgency to integrate such surveillance methods into our health system becomes increasingly evident.[ii] This brief narrative explains how Pakistan’s response to Mpox can align with global health security frameworks emphasizing surveillance, capacity building, stigma reduction, and enhanced border vigilance.

 

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Author Biography

Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, Islamabad

Technnical Lead, Health & Population Think Tank

References

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Published

2026-01-14

How to Cite

1.
Shaikh BT, Abdullah MA, Wasif Malik M, Salman M. MPOX IN PAKISTAN: A CALL FOR VIGILANCE AND GLOBAL HEALTH SOLIDARITY. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad [Internet]. 2026 Jan. 14 [cited 2026 Jan. 19];37(3):400-2. Available from: https://www.jamc.ayubmed.edu.pk/index.php/jamc/article/view/14468

Issue

Vol. 37 No. 3 (2026): JOURNAL OF AYUB MEDICAL COLLEGE ABBOTTABAD

Section

SPECIAL COMMUNICATION

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Copyright (c) 2026 Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Muhammad Ahmed Abdullah, Muhammad Wasif Malik, Muhammad Salman

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