Ghana reports first Mpox case, but the variant is not yet clear

Issued on: 04/10/2024 – 12:16

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The patient is a young man from the western northern region, about 475 kilometers from the capital Accra. He suffers from symptoms typical of Mpox, including fever, rash and body aches.

Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), confirmed that the man was isolated in accordance with health protocols.

GHS has identified 25 contacts of the patient who are currently being monitored. In addition, around 230 other suspected cases are being investigated in the country.

Ghana has already recorded Mpox cases in 2022 and 2023.

Health authorities are conducting tests to determine whether the global concern Clade Ib form of the MPox virus is responsible for the current case.

This new strain spreads more easily through close contact, including sexual interactions, compared to the Clade I variant typically found in parts of West and Central Africa.

The WHO declares a second international public health emergency for MPOX

spread virus

The World Health Organization declared MPOX a global health emergency in August for the second time in two years after the viral infection broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spread to neighboring countries.

So far this year, almost 30,000 suspected cases of MPox have been reported in Africa, most of them in Central and West Africa, with a few cases also reported in Europe and Asia.

Nigeria, South Africa and Ivory Coast have recorded several confirmed cases this year.

More than 800 people have died this year as a result of suspected Mpox.

A total of 2,082 confirmed cases were reported worldwide in August alone, the highest number since November 2022.

The Gavi vaccine alliance has reached an agreement with Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic to procure 500,000 doses of MPox vaccine for African countries affected by an outbreak.

The Democratic Republic of Congo received its first 200,000 doses of vaccine in September.

(with news agencies)