KAMPALA: Uganda has reported its first two cases of mpox (monkeypox), the health ministry said on Saturday, a day after the Africa Union (AU) allocated $10.4 million in funding to combat the outbreak.
The cases were detected in the western border district of Kasese, specifically in the towns of Mpondwe and nearby Bwera. According to Dr. Henry Mwenda, Director General of Health Services, the infections were traced to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from where they originated.
“Our findings indicate the infections did not occur in Uganda but were brought in from DRC,” Mwenda told AFP. Following the confirmation of the cases, nine persons who had come into contact with the infected persons are now under medical surveillance to monitor for any further developments.
The outbreak has also impacted neighboring countries. Last month, Kenya reported its first case of mpox, while Burundi confirmed three cases. The situation in the DRC remains particularly severe, with the country reporting over 11,000 suspected cases and around 450 deaths as of July 20.
The African Union on Friday announced that it had allocated $10.4 million from Covid-19 relief funds to support the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This funding is aimed at enhancing monitoring, laboratory testing, data collection, case management, and vaccine access across the continent.
Meanwhile, the East African Community (EAC), comprising eight member states, has called on governments to ramp up public education on mpox. The EAC urged national authorities to inform citizens about protective measures and preventive practices to curb the spread of the virus.
Mpox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the DRC and has traditionally been confined to certain West and Central African regions. It is primarily transmitted to humans from infected animals, often through the consumption of bushmeat.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022 due to the global spread of mpox. However, this emergency was lifted in May 2023. Since September 2023, a new and more virulent strain of Clade I, termed Clade Ib, has been circulating in the DRC.
