Ghana confirms first case of Mpox

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Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, D-G, Ghana Health Service

Ghana has confirmed its first case of Monkeypox (Mpox) this year, involving a 15-year-old male in the Bia West District of the Western North Region.

It followed test results from the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) which confirmed the disease on October 1, 2024 after the patient presented with a history of rash, fever and general bodily pains at the hospital.

“The suspected case was isolated in line with protocols for managing Mpox. Twenty-five contacts of the case have been identified and are currently being monitored. The patient has since been discharged and in stable condition,” a statement issued by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) yesterday indicated.

According to health officials, the patient involved had neither a history of travel over the past 21 days nor had sexual encounter with a potentially infectious person over the period.

The District and Regional health directorates have thus activated public health emergency management systems and response measures to control possible spread and transmission of the disease.

A total of 230 suspected cases of Mpox have been reported from 88 districts in all 16 regions of the country so far, this year.

The Greater Accra Region has the most suspected cases of 87, followed by Central; 26, Ashanti and Volta regions with 20, each.

The current confirmed case is the first for Ghana in 2024, although in 2022 and 2023, the country recorded 120 and eight cases, respectively.

It will be recalled that on August 14, the WHO under the International Health Regulations (2005) declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) following an upsurge in cases particularly on the African region and the likelihood for it to spread beyond the continent.

So far, the disease has affected more than 15,000 people in 18 countries on the continent, claiming over 150 lives.

A more contagious variant known as Clade 1b is said to be highly responsible for the recent surge in cases particularly among children through routine contact.

In Ghana, four deaths have been recorded so far due to Mpox since 2022.

MPOX is a zoonotic disease caused by a virus that belongs to the same family as that which causes smallpox.

It is mainly transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected rodents or primates.

Human-to-human transmission primarily occurs through close personal contact with an infected individual via respiratory droplets, direct contact with bodily fluids or indirect contact with lesion material (e.g., contaminated clothing or bedding).

Symptoms of Monkeypox typically appears within five to 16 days after exposure but can develop up to 21 days.

Symptoms generally include fever, headache, muscle aches and backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a distinctive rash characterised by lesions that progress through several stages before falling off.

Most people fully recover from the disease within four weeks and is dependent on how mild or severe symptoms present in a patient. It can, however, cause death in extreme cases.

BY ABIGAIL ANNOH