Newborn dies of mpox in Sindh as Pakistan toll reaches 12

A 53-day-old newborn has died of mpox in Sindh, the latest fatality in an outbreak that The Express Tribune reported has now killed 12 people across Pakistan this year.

The newspaper described the infant as the latest child to die of the viral infection. Its report did not name the child, the hospital where the baby was treated, or the district where the death occurred.

Two South Korean outlets carried the same death. Asia Economy reported that the baby was 53 days old and, in a headline for which no full text was available, linked the infection to "contaminated scissors" used by unlicensed medical staff. SBS News reported the newborn's death and put Pakistan's toll for the year at 12.

The claim about contaminated scissors could not be verified independently, and no Pakistani health official named in the available reports confirmed it. Skardu Times was unable to obtain comment from the Sindh health department, and the reports did not say whether any inquiry had been opened into the unlicensed staff or the equipment described.

The Express Tribune's report of a death in Sindh and SBS's national figure of 12 deaths agree on the toll. Neither gave a provincial breakdown of the deaths, the number of confirmed cases recorded this year, or the districts affected.

Mpox is a viral illness spread mainly through close physical contact with an infected person or with contaminated material. It is generally mild but can be severe in newborns, young children and people whose immunity is weakened.

The reports did not say whether the federal or Sindh health authorities had issued an advisory, traced contacts of the infant or begun an investigation. The Sindh health department has not publicly commented on the case in any of the reports available to this newspaper.