Pakistan has detected three patients with the monkeypox virus, the Ministry of Health in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced on Friday, Reuters reports.
The viral infection was detected in patients upon arrival from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the department said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after a new variant of the virus was identified.
Pakistan has had cases of monkeypox before, and it was not immediately clear which variant was detected in the patients.
Two patients have been confirmed to have monkeypox, said Salim Khan, director general of health services for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Samples from the third patient have been sent to the National Institute of Health in the capital Islamabad for confirmation, he said, adding that all three patients are in quarantine, according to Reuters.
A spokesman for Pakistan's national health ministry said Pakistan had detected one suspected case of monkeypox.
Global health officials confirmed an infection with a new strain of the virus in Sweden on Thursday and linked it to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of spread outside the continent.
The WHO on Wednesday declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert, after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries.
In Congo, there have been 27.000 cases and more than 1.100 deaths, mostly among children, since the current outbreak began in January 2023.
The disease caused by the monkeypox virus can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever, and some people can become seriously ill, according to the WHO website.
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