The Ministry of Health in Mozambique has announced the first case of monkeypox in the southern African country.
The case was diagnosed Wednesday in Maputo City, Mozambique in a man, Health minister Armindo Tiago said in a press conference.
The patient had a travel history and authorities are working to trace and screen all his contacts, the minister added.
Several other African countries have reported monkeypox cases since the outbreak was reported early this year. The countries include Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Sudan.
In July, WHO declared monkeypox a global emergency, underscoring the seriousness of the outbreak.
Monkeypox was discovered five decades ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is a zoonotic viral disease transmitted from person to person through close contact with sores, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated tools such as bedding, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Its symptoms include fever, back pain and lymph nodes swelling.
