Ghana’s health service reported the first case of smallpox this year in the country, without specifying the variant recorded, according to a statement.
A health service official told Reuters that tests were being carried out to determine whether it was the clade Ib form of the mpox virus which has caused global concern because it appears to spread rapidly and l Little is known about this strain.
Ghana had already recorded cases of mpox in 2022 and 2023.
The release described the patient as a young man presenting with fever, rash and body aches. He specifies that 25 contacts have been identified and are being followed up.
In August, the World Health Organization declared smallpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is spread to neighboring countries.
Two strains of mpox are spreading: the clade I variant, endemic in parts of west and central Africa, and the new clade Ib strain, which spreads more easily through close contact, including sexual contact.
