First monkeypox case of 2025 reported

Peshawar: The first monkeypox case of 2025 has been reported from Peshawar Airport in a 35-year-old man who came from Dubai.

According to a media report, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Advisor Ehtesham Ali said that the public health team had shifted the patient to the Police Services Hospital, and his samples from the police hospital were sent to the Public Health Reference Lab. The lab has confirmed M-pox in the 35-year-old man.

Ehtesham Ali said that a letter has been written to the Peshawar Airport Manager to provide the details of the passengers, and as soon as the information is received, the relevant DHOs will be informed for contact tracing.

He stated that 10 cases of M-pox have been reported in the province so far, two in 2023, seven in 2024, and the first case was reported in 2025, appealing to the public to be careful while ensuring social distancing.

It is pertinent to note that the World Health Organization (WHO) approved the emergency use of another vaccine to prevent monkeypox or M-pox in November last year.

According to a statement issued by the WHO, they approved the use of the vaccine (LC16m8) developed and used in Japan.

The vaccine was developed in Japan and was used on patients there two years ago, with encouraging results.

After the successful trial of the vaccine in Japan, it was allowed to be used on an emergency basis worldwide.

The vaccine can be administered to people over the age of one year and a single dose has been recommended. However, a second dose can also be administered after some time following the recommendation of doctors.

The company claimed that the vaccine is beneficial and safe not only for ordinary people but also for people suffering from other immune-deficiency diseases including HIV.

Earlier, the WHO had given conditional permission for the use of the first vaccine in September, later in October, the organization approved the use of the said vaccine for people aged 12 to 17 years.

Monkeypox has currently spread to more than 80 countries around the world, with most of its cases being recorded in the African continent, while M-pox is also spreading rapidly in Europe and the United States.

The WHO has declared Monkeypox a World Health Emergency twice in the last two years, the second time in August 2024.