KAMPALA (Askume) – The number of MPOX infections in Uganda has risen to 10, a health official said on Saturday, all carrying the 1B variant of the virus which is more transmissible between people.
The country borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the current outbreak began in January 2023, making Uganda a country of particular concern for health officials.
Uganda’s first two cases were confirmed in July.
Henry Kyobe, head of the government’s measles response, told Askume the country had so far reported 10 cases, of which four patients were still in isolation and six had been treated and discharged.
“We are happy that no one has died so far and we are confident that we can defeat this pandemic,” Kyobe said, adding that they had carried out more than 200 tests on suspected patients.
Following the discovery of the new variant, the World Health Organization in mid-AugustDeclaring the recent outbreak a public health emergency .
Ampox causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled ulcers and is spread by close physical contact. Although the illness is usually mild, it can be fatal if left untreated.
