KARACHI: Sindh’s escalating mpox emergency has entered an even darker phase after another child succumbed to the outbreak in Khairpur, pushing the reported pediatric death toll to 12, while grieving families and local residents raised alarming claims that Khairpur Civil Hospital's pediatric ward lacks even basic treatment facilities, forcing critically ill infants into desperate last-minute transfers to Gambat. The worsening situation now raises urgent questions not only about viral containment, but about whether district-level pediatric emergency care has failed at the exact moment children need it most.
The latest victim, little Maimoona, was first brought to Khairpur Civil Hospital's pediatric ward after developing symptoms consistent with mpox-like viral infection and was later referred to Gambat’s Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College / GIMS-linked tertiary care setup, where doctors fought to save her life. She could not survive.
Related story: Karachi’s second mpox case triggers fears the virus may already be spreading locally in Sindh
In another deeply worrying development, 16-day-old baby Arsha Metlo was also shifted in critical condition after reportedly falling into the grip of the same rapidly spreading viral illness, while two more children were transferred in serious condition, reflecting the continued acceleration of suspected pediatric cases in the district.
Families described scenes of helplessness, saying that there is neither effective treatment nor essential pediatric outbreak support available at the Khairpur Civil Hospital, leaving them with no option but to transport fragile newborns and infants to Gambat. Those claims echo the wider concerns already raised in previous investigations about infection prevention failures, delayed recognition, and weak neonatal preparedness in interior Sindh hospitals.
Gambat isolation ward reaches capacity
The latest update also reveals how quickly the outbreak burden is now spilling into referral hospitals.
At Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), the dedicated isolation ward was reported to be full, forcing administrators to discharge two clinically improving children to free beds for incoming critical cases.
According to Dr Bakhtiar Bhanbhro, in-charge at Gambat hospital, the discharged children were released because their condition had improved, a decision that underscores both clinical pressure and bed turnover urgency.
From cluster to system failure
What makes the 12th death especially significant is that the crisis narrative is shifting.
This is no longer only about mpox transmission.
It is increasingly about whether weak district hospital infrastructure, inadequate pediatric isolation capacity, sterilization failures, and delayed referral pathways are amplifying mortality among infants.
Earlier confirmed investigations linked multiple newborn deaths in Khairpur to laboratory-confirmed mpox, while specialists at Aga Khan University Hospital warned that Pakistan may be seeing neonatal mpox cases for the first time, with healthcare-linked spread remaining a serious possibility.
The continuing rise in cases across Khairpur also suggests the district may still be inside an active transmission window, with hospitals, households, and neonatal care pathways all requiring urgent surveillance.
Why this now matters beyond Khairpur
The bigger danger is that Khairpur may no longer be an isolated district event.
With Karachi already reporting fresh confirmed cases and infectious disease experts warning of possible local transmission signals in Sindh, every new pediatric death in Khairpur increases the provincial significance of the outbreak.
Public health experts say the immediate priorities now are clear:
- rapid laboratory confirmation of every suspected child case
- strict sterilization audits in district hospitals
- emergency expansion of pediatric isolation beds
- mandatory referral protocols for unstable infants
- real-time contact tracing around family and hospital clusters
- transparent mortality review of all 12 deaths
The tragedy of Maimoona’s death, the transfer of newborn Arsha, and the filling of Gambat’s isolation ward together send one unmistakable message:
Sindh is no longer simply tracking an outbreak. It is racing to prevent a pediatric healthcare collapse around it.
For families in Khairpur, the question is no longer whether the virus is spreading.
It is whether children can reach the care they need before the next transfer comes too late.
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