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Pakistan Confirms Second Mpox Death, Points to Likely Local Transmission

Health officials say the Faisalabad patient had advanced HIV with a very low CD4 count, underscoring the risk to immunocompromised people.

Overview

  • The 53-year-old man died on February 7 during treatment at Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences after presenting with widespread skin and genital lesions.
  • Officials report he had no recent travel history, indicating the infection was acquired within Pakistan.
  • Doctors say he lived with HIV and hepatitis B and C, had severe immunosuppression, and had only recently begun antiretroviral therapy.
  • Pakistan recorded 53 confirmed mpox cases last year, mostly detected through surveillance at entry points and in hospitals.
  • Health authorities have begun contact tracing and urged stronger surveillance, early diagnosis, timely isolation, and greater clinician awareness for unexplained rashes or genital lesions.