Ghana confirms first case of monkeypox in 2024

Ghana has confirmed its first case of Mpox in 2024, as health authorities report a continued spread of the virus across Africa. 

The patient, a young boy from the Western North Region, approximately 475 kilometers (295 miles) from the capital city, Accra, exhibited symptoms including a rash, fever, and body pains, according to Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

The child has since been discharged and is in stable condition, but officials are actively monitoring 25 individuals who were in close contact with him. Kuma-Aboagye stated, “The suspected case of Mpox was isolated in line with protocols for managing Mpox.”

In addition, about 230 other suspected cases are currently under investigation in Ghana, as reported by GHS sources. The outbreak has prompted increased vigilance, with the country’s public health emergency systems activated in response to the situation. “There is no cause for alarm,” Kuma-Aboagye assured in a telephone interview with AFP.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) highlighted the urgency of the situation during a press briefing on Thursday. Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa CDC, noted, “More than 860 people have died from some 34,297 cases recorded across Africa since January,” and confirmed that Ghana has reported 38 cases of Mpox this week.

The Mpox virus exists in two subtypes: clade 1 and clade 2, with the more lethal clade 1 endemic in the Congo Basin for decades. While GHS has not specified which clade was detected in the recent case, the less severe clade 2 is known to be endemic in parts of West Africa. Ghana recorded a total of eight cases in 2023 and 120 in 2022.

Several other African countries, including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Ivory Coast, have also reported confirmed Mpox cases this year.

The Africa CDC declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) in August 2024, following the World Health Organization’s classification of the virus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Mpox, a viral disease related to smallpox, is transmitted from animals to humans but can also spread between people through close contact. Symptoms typically include fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that develops into blisters. A new strain, clade 1b, was first detected among sex workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2023.