slug: karachi-hospital-sealed-mpox-newborn-circumcision-case
category: National News
focus keyphrase: mpox newborn Karachi hospital sealed
seo title: Mpox Newborn Karachi Hospital Sealed After SHCC Raid
meta description: The mpox newborn Karachi hospital sealed case: SHCC shut a Malir facility after a 20-day-old tested positive; contaminated tools are suspected.
tags: mpox, Karachi, SHCC, newborn health, Ibn-e-Hassan Hospital, Malir, Dow University, public health
original element: own data point — our Oct 15 mpox infant-case coverage (40-day-old Landhi baby, Sindh total 94) with internal link, plus SHCC enforcement explainer
Mpox Newborn Karachi Hospital Sealed After SHCC Raid
KARACHI: The Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) has sealed Ibn-e-Hassan Hospital in the Malir 15 area after a 20-day-old newborn from Korangi tested positive for the mpox virus. Health officials suspect that contaminated instruments used during the infant’s circumcision were the source of the infection.
The action followed a complaint by the District Health Officer (DHO) Korangi, which triggered the inquiry. Tests on the infant’s samples at Dow University confirmed the infection, the commission said. Officials said the facility was operating illegally and that unqualified staff were performing circumcisions on children.
How the case came to light
The inquiry began when the DHO Korangi reported the laboratory-confirmed mpox case in the newborn to the SHCC. According to the commission, the investigation identified the instruments used at the facility for the child’s circumcision as the suspected source of transmission.
An SHCC statement quoted by Dawn said: “The [baby’s swab] sample tested positive at a Dow laboratory. Following the report, SHCC officials, with the support of the DHO Korangi and the SSP, took action and sealed the hospital, which was being run illegally by non-qualified staff and quacks.”
According to reports, the infant belongs to Karachi’s Landhi area. Family sources said the child first developed a fever with severe skin rashes. After treatment at local clinics in Landhi and Korangi failed to resolve the symptoms, the newborn was referred to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital and Research Centre (SIDH&RC). The child is reported to be in stable condition, though restless.
What inspectors found inside
During the sealing operation, hospital staff allegedly resisted the inspection and called in their associates, which forced the authorities to seek police assistance. The situation was brought under control with the support of the Korangi police, after which the team sealed the facility.
Officials said the alleged quack running the facility fled the scene along with several others. The SHCC found that the hospital had poor sanitation and inadequate infection prevention and control measures. Officials warned that the facility’s illegal medical practices and lack of proper safety arrangements posed serious risks to patient health and safety.
SHCC spokesperson Mustafa Jatoi said the action was taken over reported breaches of healthcare standards, including poor hygiene, weak infection prevention and control measures, and malpractices that raised serious concerns about patient safety and public health.
A worrying pattern in Karachi’s infant cases
This is not the first time in recent weeks that an infant in Karachi has tested positive for mpox. Last week, a 40-day-old baby boy from Landhi tested positive and was admitted to SIDH&RC with fever and rashes across his body, as Feature Pakistan reported in our earlier report on the 40-day-old Landhi baby. That case had taken Sindh’s mpox tally for the year to 94.
The provincial tally had earlier stood at 93 cases with 11 deaths reported this year, while two new mpox cases were reported in Lahore in June and an earlier monkeypox case was reported in Karachi. The back-to-back infant cases in Karachi point to gaps in infection control at small private facilities rather than wider community transmission.
The SHCC is the provincial regulator responsible for licensing healthcare establishments and shutting down unregistered or quack-run facilities. Its enforcement drives have repeatedly targeted clinics operating without qualified staff.
Frequently asked questions
How did the newborn contract mpox?
The SHCC inquiry suspects the virus spread through contaminated instruments used during the infant’s circumcision at Ibn-e-Hassan Hospital. The sample tested at Dow University confirmed mpox.
Was the hospital operating legally?
No. The SHCC said the facility was run illegally by non-qualified staff and quacks, with poor sanitation and weak infection prevention. The alleged quack fled during the sealing operation.
How serious is mpox for newborns?
Mpox spreads through close contact with an infected person or contaminated materials. In infants, whose immune systems are still developing, it can cause fever and widespread rashes and requires hospital care, as seen in both recent Karachi cases treated at SIDH&RC.
What action has the SHCC taken?
The commission sealed Ibn-e-Hassan Hospital in Malir 15 with the support of the DHO Korangi and SSP Korangi after the confirmed case was reported. Police help was required after staff allegedly resisted the inspection.
_Source: Tribune_
