Three-year-old boy diagnosed with mpox in Karachi — Dawn

A three-year-old boy in Karachi, Pakistan, has been confirmed to have mpox. This brought the number of infection cases registered in Sindh province since the beginning of the year to 115, Dawn reports.

Treatment of the child

According to the publication's sources, the boy is being treated at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre. A doctor at the facility said that the child, like two recent patients, underwent circumcision at a hospital in Malir district, which was sealed over concerns about compliance with infection-control measures.

According to the doctor, an infant with mpox died at the centre early this week after 10 days of treatment. Another patient was in the intensive care unit. Among the seven patients currently being treated at the centre are the mother and aunt of the deceased infant.

Hospital inspection

Including the new patient, the centre in Karachi has recorded 31 mpox cases since the beginning of the year. Sindh province has registered 115 infection cases and 12 deaths.

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More than 10 days ago, the Sindh Healthcare Commission sealed Ibn Hassan Hospital after laboratory confirmation of mpox in an infant and due to identified shortcomings in infection prevention and control measures.

The commission's chief executive officer, Ahsan Qavi Siddiqui, said that the medical facility was operating legally but was not registered with the commission. During the inspection, he said, officials found an employee performing circumcisions beyond the scope of their authority.

The hospital was temporarily reopened for sanitisation, fumigation and disinfection, and was then sealed again. Once this work is completed, samples are planned to be taken there to determine whether the facility is safe and fit to operate.