Ghana has reported its first case of Mpox in 2024, as the virus continues to spread across Africa.
The patient, a young boy from the Western North Region, developed symptoms including a rash, fever, and body pains.
According to Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the boy has since been discharged in stable condition. Health officials are now monitoring 25 close contacts.
In addition to this confirmed case, Ghana is investigating 230 other suspected cases of Mpox.
Public health systems have been activated to respond to the outbreak.
Kuma-Aboagye reassured the public, stating, “There is no cause for alarm,” despite the growing number of cases under observation.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) recently highlighted the seriousness of the outbreak, reporting that over 34,000 Mpox cases and 860 deaths have been recorded across the continent since January.
Ghana alone has confirmed 38 new cases this week, prompting increased vigilance among health authorities.
Mpox is caused by a virus related to smallpox and is transmitted from animals to humans, but it can also spread between people through close contact.
Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, and a rash that turns into blisters.
The Mpox virus exists in two subtypes, with the more severe clade 1 being endemic to the Congo Basin. It remains unclear which clade was detected in the recent Ghana case.
The Africa CDC declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) in August 2024, following the World Health Organization’s earlier classification as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Several other African nations, including Nigeria and South Africa, have also reported confirmed Mpox cases this year.
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