The Cameroonian government on Wednesday recorded a tragic death of two mpox victims since April 2024, with six confirmed cases of the virus.
The country’s health ministry through the Health Minister, Malachie Manaouda disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
He said, “Since the resurgence of this disease in April 2024, the country has recorded 46 suspected cases of mpox, six of which are confirmed, with two deaths reported.”
However, the epidemic is “not linked to the new, more virulent strain (Clade 1bn)”, the ministry said.
The World Health Organization declared an international emergency over mpox four weeks ago after a surge in cases of the Clade 1b strain in DR Congo which spread to neighbouring countries.
Since then, “Cameroonian authorities have strengthened surveillance, vaccination and awareness measures to prevent a possible local outbreak,” the ministry said.
At the end of last month mpox was recorded as present in 14 African countries.
Mpox is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can in some cases be deadly.
So far, 796 cases have been logged in Burundi, 162 in Congo-Brazzaville and 45 in the Central African Republic, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Democratic Republic of Congo is assumed the epicenter of the epidemic.
