Kampala, March 18 (IANS) The cumulative number of laboratory-confirmed mpox cases in Uganda has reached 4,342, with 31 deaths reported since the outbreak was declared in the East African country eight months ago, the Ugandan Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
A total of 25 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, with the capital, Kampala, the epicentre of the virus, registering 12 cases, the ministry said in a national situation report issued here.
According to health authorities, the Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners, has intensified preventive measures, including enhanced surveillance, case management, risk communication, community engagement, and public awareness campaigns to curb the virus’s spread.
In August, the WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, warning of its potential for further international transmission.
According to the WHO, mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick, Xinhua news agency reported.
Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, and it can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).
Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.
For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have a fever, muscle aches, or sore throat first.
The mpox rash often begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It can also start on other parts of the body where contact is made, such as the genitals. It starts as a flat sore, which develops into a blister filled with liquid that may be itchy or painful. As the rash heals, the lesions dry up, crust over, and fall off.
–IANS
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