PandemicPreparedness

Updated: September 2025

Mpox

The country reported its first case of mpox in April 2023, with several imported cases of clade II detected since then. Clade Ib was reported for the first time in December 2024.

Mpox vaccine is not widely available in the country.

Useful websites: Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination Islamabad

Bird flu

H5N1 was first detected in Pakistan in February 2006. Sporadic outbreaks have been reported in poultry and wild birds until June 2008.
H5N8 was identified in captive Macaws at Lahore zoo in 2018 and wild birds tested positive for the virus in 2019. Poultry bids have also been affected by this strain since 2018.

Human cases of bird flu

Pakistan reported its first human cases in mid-December 2007. A small cluster, which involved human-to-human infection within a family, occurred between October and December.

COVID-19

The first imported cases were reported late February 2020.

For more information see the World Health Organization dashboard.

MERS-CoV

In May 2023, a 19-year-old woman was diagnosed with the the virus on arrival to Islamabad from Saudi Arabia. She was treated in isolation, in hospital. There was no evidence of local transmission of MERS-CoV, however, surveillance in hospitals and airports has been increased.

Pandemic Preparedness

The report on avian and human influenza preparedness and control project is available. There is also a Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19.