The 2024 monkeypox outbreak in Pakistan: assessing the nation's public health preparedness.

The new subclade Ib of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is spreading rapidly across Africa and has now been reported outside the continent. Historically, clade I has been associated with more severe disease than clade II, and its newly mutated variant, clade Ib is raising further concerns. Pakistan is among the first non-African countries to confirm a case of mpox in the recent outbreak, amid the World Health Organization's sounding warning of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). With an underfunded, underequipped, and overburdened healthcare system, Pakistan remains virtually unprepared for a public health emergency as a result of mpox. If sustained human-to-human transmission continues, Pakistan will face yet another public health challenge after COVID-19 and the recent devastating floods of 2022. To mitigate this crisis, a coordinated national strategy, in addition to collaboration with international organizations are imperative.