Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - The Gambia has
confirmed an outbreak of mpox with detection of a single case, as several
nearby countries have recorded recent increases in infections.
Mpox remains an international health emergency, the World Health
Organisation's director said last month, amid a rise in west Africa.
"A case of mpox has been detected in the country through the routine
surveillance system", The Gambia's Ministry of Health said in a statement,
adding that the disease was detected on Friday.
"The detection of a single case in a country where mpox is not
presently in circulation constitutes an outbreak, requiring immediate
response," it said.
The ministry said it was actively looking for cases, carrying out contact
tracing and community engagement to prevent the disease's spread.
Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox. It can be
transmitted to humans by infected animals, but can also be passed between
people through close physical contact.
The disease, which was first detected in humans in 1970 in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, causes fever, muscular aches, and large boil-like skin
lesions, and can be deadly.
It has two subtypes: clade 1 and clade 2.
Sequencing is being carried out to determine the virus subtype in The
Gambia, the ministry said.
From January to late May of this year, nearby Sierra Leone recorded a
total of 3,350 cases, including 16 de@ths.
Liberia had some 71 active cases in early June, according to its National
Public Health Institute.
Thousands of cases have also been recorded this year across DR Congo, Uganda and Burundi, according to WHO.
0 Comments