Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of a suspected Mpox outbreak among newborns in Khairpur that has claimed at least seven lives, as the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad dispatched a high-level team to investigate the situation amid growing concerns over delayed reporting and lack of coordination by provincial authorities.
Senior officials at the Ministry of National Health Services said the NIH team, comprising epidemiologists, laboratory experts and infection prevention specialists, is reaching Khairpur on Tuesday to begin field investigations, collect samples and assess infection control practices in affected villages where suspected and confirmed cases continue to emerge.
The federal intervention comes as officials in Islamabad expressed concern that the outbreak, described by experts as an unprecedented cluster of Mpox infections among neonates, was not being fully reported despite rising cases in Khairpur and adjoining areas.
“Given the seriousness of the situation and the reports of deaths, we are moving in with our team to independently assess and support the response,” a senior health official said, adding that full federal assistance had been offered to Sindh authorities.
Officials confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed federal and provincial authorities to ensure close coordination, strengthen surveillance and take immediate steps to contain the virus before it spreads further.
Clinicians in Khairpur have reported clusters of children presenting with unusual skin lesions over the past weeks, raising suspicions of Mpox transmission beyond isolated cases. Provincial teams recently visited Magsi Goth, where around 25 to 30 suspected infections have been identified, and collected samples for laboratory testing.
However, federal officials indicated that delays in sharing data and confirming cases have complicated efforts to mount a coordinated response.
In a separate development, concerns have also been raised over suspected Mpox cases in Faisalabad, where, officials said, provincial authorities have yet to share data despite repeated requests from both the ministry and NIH.
“There is a need for complete transparency. When dealing with a potential outbreak, any delay in reporting can have serious consequences,” an official said.
Director General Health Dr Abdul Wali Khan also chaired a meeting with provincial health heads and Border Health Services on Monday, urging them to immediately share outbreak data, enhance surveillance systems and coordinate with NIH for laboratory confirmation and response.
A formal communication from the NIH’s Centre for Disease Control to Sindh authorities warned that laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases in Khairpur indicate a potential outbreak requiring urgent and coordinated action.
The letter highlighted that infection in an infant raises the possibility of vertical transmission, a rare but serious development that requires detailed epidemiological investigation. It also stressed the need to differentiate Mpox from other skin conditions such as staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome to avoid misclassification.
Citing Pakistan’s obligations under the International Health Regulations 2005, the NIH reminded provincial authorities that timely detection, notification and reporting of outbreaks to the World Health Organization is mandatory, warning that delays or concealment could compromise both national containment efforts and Pakistan’s standing in the global health security framework.
The federal agency has offered full technical support, including confirmatory testing, genomic sequencing and clade analysis at its reference laboratories, while also calling for immediate sharing of samples with both the Provincial Public Health Laboratory and NIH Islamabad.
On the ground, Sindh health officials acknowledged reports of three to four neonatal deaths in Magsi Goth but said confirmation of Mpox as the cause would depend on laboratory results. A separate team from Dow University of Health Sciences has also conducted field visits and sampling.
Health experts warn that delayed reporting, weak surveillance and lack of coordination between provincial and federal authorities are allowing the outbreak to expand quietly, increasing the risk of wider transmission, particularly among vulnerable populations such as newborns.
With the federal team now in the field and the prime minister taking direct notice, officials say the coming days will be critical in determining the true scale of the outbreak and whether Pakistan can contain what is increasingly being seen as a serious public health emergency.
Ends