The National Public Health Institute of Ivory Coast has reported 28 new cases of mpox, including one death in the country.
According to sources from the press, Dr. Daouda Koulibaly stated today, Wednesday, that “the National Health Institute recorded 28 confirmed cases as of yesterday, Tuesday, including one death” in the capital city, Abidjan.
Koulibaly added that in an earlier report from the beginning of August, only six “non-fatal” cases had been recorded. He emphasized that “the situation is not alarming, as we are at the beginning of an emerging epidemic, and there is no outbreak.”
He further explained that “surveillance has been strengthened, and we must break the chains of transmission, identify contacts of the cases, isolate them, and monitor them.”
The Democratic Republic of Congo is by far the most affected country, with at least 16,000 reported cases, including 548 deaths. Cases have also been identified in other East African countries and one case in Sweden.
The resurgence of mpox in Africa has prompted the World Health Organization to issue a decree on August 14 regarding a public health emergency of international concern, which is the highest level of health alert and had already been initiated in 2022.
