The first death caused by the monkeypox virus has been confirmed by Ghanaian health authorities.
The afflicted person was a military officer who passed away in northeastern Ghana three days after being admitted to the hospital. The deceased experienced skin rash and feverish symptoms.
Thirteen people who are thought to have contact with the deceased are currently being watched in isolation.
Health officials claim they have started taking the required steps to stop the virus’s spread, including increased surveillance and public awareness raising.
In seven different districts of Ghana, the virus has so far been reported in over 30 cases.
However, Greater Accra, the area of the nation’s capital, has been the site of more than 50% of the instances.
The illness has lately been classified as a public health emergency of global significance by the World Health Organisation, WHO.
Sudan’s health ministry on Sunday confirmed its first case of monkeypox. The patient is a 16-year-old student from West Darfur state.
Monkeypox has been endemic in West and Central Africa for decades, but cases have been linked to animal spillover rather than human-to-human transmission. In previous outbreaks outside of African countries, such as the one in the United States in 2003, cases were linked to contact with infected animals or travel to endemic areas.
While it is still unknown how monkeypox entered humans in the current outbreak, the virus has spread through close, intimate contact; a deviation from previous outbreaks.