GAMBAT/KHAIRPUR/LARKANA: A mysterious disease marked by severe skin lesions has gripped parts of upper Sindh, with doctors in Gambat, Khairpur and Larkana warning that the infection could be a suspected outbreak of Mpox among children, even as confusion persists over delayed testing and lack of coordination among health authorities.
Local pediatricians say for the last days, children are being brought to clinics and public health facilities with unusual lesions that do not match common infections like chickenpox or measles, raising alarm among clinicians who fear the possibility of an emerging viral outbreak in the region.
Teams of epidemiologists and infectious disease experts have visited the affected areas following reports from physicians at the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences and district headquarters hospitals, collecting samples from suspected cases.
However, uncertainty deepened on Tuesday after officials at Dow University of Health Sciences said they had not received any samples from Gambat or Khairpur for laboratory confirmation till the filing of this report.
“I have seen at least six cases that clinically resemble Mpox, with distinct lesions on children’s bodies. They are neither chickenpox nor measles, but we cannot confirm without lab tests,” a senior pediatrician at Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences said, requesting anonymity. He added that similar cases were being reported by healthcare providers across Khairpur and Larkana, suggesting the spread may be wider than initially thought.
District Health Officer Khairpur Dr Barkat Ali confirmed that several children in Kot Diji and Sagio villages had developed suspicious skin infections, prompting the district administration to seek intervention from provincial health authorities.
“We have requested investigation teams and samples have been collected. But we cannot determine the nature of the disease until laboratory reports are available. For now, treatment is based on clinical assessment,” he said.
Concerns have also been raised over unverified reports of child deaths linked to the illness. Health experts warned that in rural Sindh, many deaths go undocumented due to weak surveillance systems and absence of routine postmortem examinations, making it difficult to establish the true scale and severity of the situation.
Officials at the National Institute of Health said they were aware of the suspected outbreak and had reviewed images showing severe lesions on affected children, but expressed concern that provincial authorities had not shared samples or detailed data with the federal institute.
“We have repeatedly asked for samples and information. Without timely sharing, it becomes extremely difficult to confirm the disease and contain any potential outbreak,” a senior NIH official said, adding that delays and lack of transparency at provincial levels often result in preventable loss of lives.
Federal health officials echoed these concerns, saying gaps in coordination between provincial health departments and national institutions were undermining efforts to monitor and respond to infectious disease threats. They noted that failure to share outbreak data with national authorities makes surveillance fragmented and weakens the country’s ability to respond to emerging infections.
Health experts also warned that the affected districts, particularly Larkana and surrounding areas, have previously reported high numbers of HIV infections among children, which could make them more vulnerable to opportunistic and emerging infections such as Mpox.
“If children have compromised immunity, they are at higher risk of contracting unusual or severe infections. This makes early detection and coordinated response even more critical,” an official said, urging authorities to involve national institutions in screening and investigation.
An official from the Directorate General Health office in Hyderabad maintained that samples had been collected and sent for testing, and said results would be shared once available. However, the apparent discrepancy between field claims and laboratory receipt has raised fresh questions about the efficiency of the response and whether critical time is being lost in identifying a potentially serious outbreak.
With suspected cases rising and confirmation still pending, doctors on the ground warn that delay in diagnosis and lack of clarity could allow the disease to spread further, particularly among vulnerable children in underserved rural communities.
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