Uganda's mpox caseload rises to ten - official

[September 14, 2024]  KAMPALA (Reuters) - The number of mpox infections in Uganda has risen to ten and all of the patients have a strain of the virus, clade 1b, that is more transmissible between people, a health official said on Saturday.

The country borders the Democratic Republic of Congo where the current outbreak began in January 2023, making Uganda a particular focus point for health officials.

The first two cases in Uganda were confirmed in July.

Henry Kyobe, who heads the government's mpox response effort, told Reuters the country had ten cases so far, with four of those patients still in isolation and six already treated and discharged.

"We are happy we have not recorded any fatality so far and we're confident we'll beat the outbreak," Kyobe said, adding they had conducted over 200 tests of suspected patients.

The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency in mid-August after the new variant was identified.

An undated colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (pink) found within an infected cell (yellow), cultured in the laboratory, captured at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. NIAID/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Mpox causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and transmit through close physical contact. While usually mild, the disease can be fatal if left untreated.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Clelia Oziel)

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