Ghana has recorded its first case of mpox, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed to asaaseradio.com.
According to the GHS, an official statement on the recorded case is expected to be released soon.
Mpox (monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever.
Reports suggest there about 230 suspected cases currently under investigations in the country.
An official statement on the recorded case is expected to be released soon.
Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
Nearly 30,000 suspected mpox cases have been reported in Africa so far this year, most of them in Democratic Republic of Congo where tests have run out, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
More than 800 people died of suspected mpox across the continent in that time, the UN health body said in its report. Congo’s central African neighbour Burundi has also been hit by a growing outbreak, it added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in August declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.
The Ministry of Health, through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in August activated its emergency response plan to address the potential threat of the disease within the country, in response to the recent declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that mpox is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Source: Asaaseradio.com
