The first case of Monkeypox (Mpox) this year has been confirmed in Ghana by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
According to a statement by the GHS on Thursday, the case involved a 15-year-old male in the Bia West District of the Western North Region.
It explained that the test results from the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) confirmed the disease on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 after the patient presented a history of rash, fever and general bodily pains at the hospital.
“The suspected case was isolated in line with protocols for managing Mpox. Twenty-five contacts of the case have been identified and are currently being monitored. The patient has since been discharged and in stable condition,” the statement said.
The report by the Ghanain Times on Friday said that health officials stated that the patient had neither a history of travel over the past 21 days nor had sexual encounter with a potentially infectious person over the period.
It added that the District and Regional health directorates have activated public health emergency management systems and response measures to control possible spread and transmission of the disease.
It will be recalled that a total of 230 suspected cases of Mpox hadbeen reported from 88 districts in all 16 regions of the country so far, this year.
GIK/APA