Ali Awan Hashir, Omaise Zafar Muhammad, Isra Tahera Syeda, Manhal Gaffar Alemam A, Abbasher Hussien Mohamed Ahmed Khabab, Ullah Irfan
Department of Internal Medicine, Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 May 20;87(7):4007-4010. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003398. eCollection 2025 Jul.
The new subclade Ib of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is spreading rapidly across Africa and has now been reported outside the continent. Historically, clade I has been associated with more severe disease than clade II, and its newly mutated variant, clade Ib is raising further concerns. Pakistan is among the first non-African countries to confirm a case of mpox in the recent outbreak, amid the World Health Organization's sounding warning of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). With an underfunded, underequipped, and overburdened healthcare system, Pakistan remains virtually unprepared for a public health emergency as a result of mpox. If sustained human-to-human transmission continues, Pakistan will face yet another public health challenge after COVID-19 and the recent devastating floods of 2022. To mitigate this crisis, a coordinated national strategy, in addition to collaboration with international organizations are imperative.
猴痘病毒（MPXV）的新亚分支Ib正在非洲迅速传播，目前在非洲大陆以外地区也有报告。从历史上看，分支I比分支II与更严重的疾病有关，其新突变的变体分支Ib引发了更多担忧。在世界卫生组织发出国际关注的突发公共卫生事件（PHEIC）警告之际，巴基斯坦是最近疫情中最早确认猴痘病例的非非洲国家之一。由于医疗保健系统资金不足、设备匮乏且负担过重，巴基斯坦实际上仍未做好应对猴痘引发的突发公共卫生事件的准备。如果人际传播持续下去，巴基斯坦将在新冠疫情和2022年最近的毁灭性洪灾之后面临又一项公共卫生挑战。为缓解这一危机，除了与国际组织合作之外，还必须制定协调一致的国家战略。
