Zimbabwe has confirmed its first two cases of smallpox, the health ministry said on Sunday, without specifying which variant had been recorded.
The first case was detected in an 11-year-old boy who developed symptoms last month after traveling to South Africa, the statement said. The second case was detected in a 24-year-old man who fell ill after a trip to Tanzania.
Both patients are recovering and contact tracing is ongoing. The cases were recorded in the capital Harare and the southern town of Mberengwa.
In August, the World Health Organization declared smallpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years as a new variant of the viral infection spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the neighboring African countries.
The new “clade 1b” variant has sparked global concern because it appears to spread more easily through usual close contact.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare wishes to reassure the public that the situation is under control and urges them not to panic,” said the statement signed by Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora. .
Neighboring Zambia also reported its first case last week, without revealing the strain.
Smallpox usually causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. The disease is usually mild, but it can be fatal.
