ISTANBUL

Pakistan on Sunday reported its fourth case of mpox virus in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to local media.

The case was detected during routine screening at the airport in Peshawar, the provincial capital, when a 47-year-old male passenger showed symptoms of the virus, according to the daily Dawn.

The patient was immediately transferred to a medical facility for further evaluation and treatment, said Irshad Roghani, the director of public health for the province.

Local health officials confirmed that laboratory tests verified the mpox infection. They reported that the patient is currently in stable condition.

The latest case follows three previously confirmed mpox infections in the country, raising concerns about the potential spread of the virus.

All four confirmed cases in the South Asian nation have been linked to travelers returning from abroad.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the global mpox situation a "public health emergency of international concern" on Aug. 14.