The Gambian Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday the detection of the country’s first mpox case, bringing heightened attention to the regional resurgence of the disease.
According to the ministry’s statement, the case was identified through routine surveillance on Friday, marking the official confirmation of mpox presence in a nation where it was not previously circulating.
“The detection of a single case in a country where mpox is not presently in circulation constitutes an outbreak, requiring immediate response,” the ministry emphasized. In response, authorities have initiated extensive contact tracing, case finding, and community engagement efforts aimed at curbing transmission.
Mpox, a viral illness caused by a virus closely related to smallpox, manifests through fever, muscle pain, and eruptive skin lesions resembling large boils. First identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the disease can be transmitted by infected animals or person-to-person through close physical contact. The illness carries significant health risks, sometimes leading to fatalities.
Sequencing is ongoing to determine whether the Gambian strain belongs to clade 1 or clade 2, the two known subtypes of the virus. The World Health Organisation recently underscored that mpox remains an international health emergency, amid rising case numbers in parts of West Africa.
Neighboring countries have been grappling with increasing mpox outbreaks. Sierra Leone recorded 3,350 cases and 16 deaths from January to late May, while Liberia had 71 active cases as of early June, according to its National Public Health Institute. Guinea recently surpassed 200 reported cases since last September, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Burundi have also accounted for thousands of confirmed infections this year.
okay.ng reports that the Ministry is intensifying efforts to prevent further spread and is urging the public to remain vigilant and report symptoms promptly.
