Summary:
- Ivory Coast reports 28 cases of mpox, with one fatality.
- The outbreak, which has increased from six cases in early August, includes infections in the capital, Abidjan.
- The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency following a rise in deaths in DR Congo.
Ivory Coast’s health authorities have confirmed a significant rise in mpox cases, with the total reaching 28 as of Tuesday. This includes one fatality reported in the country’s economic capital, Abidjan. The number of confirmed cases has surged from just six at the start of August. The National Public Hygiene Institute (INHP), led by Dr. Daouda Coulibaly, is actively working to identify the specific strain involved in this recent outbreak.
Despite the increase, Coulibaly reassured the public, stating that the situation should not be a cause for alarm. He described the current situation as the beginning of a new epidemic phase, with no significant upsurge in cases yet. The focus is now on breaking the transmission chains, identifying and isolating contacts, and enhancing monitoring efforts.
The cases reported this year in Ivory Coast are of the subtype known as clade 2, which was part of the previous epidemic in 2022. In contrast, a more severe subtype, clade 1b, has emerged in several countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and even Sweden. This newer strain has been linked to over 500 deaths in DR Congo alone this year. Last week, the World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency due to the rising number of fatalities and the spread of more dangerous strains.
