South Sudan declares mpox outbreak with first case confirmed

Acting Minister of Health James Hoth Mai said the National Public Health Laboratory confirmed the case in a Ugandan national who had recently traveled to his home country, where an active outbreak is ongoing.

"This outbreak has been declared following confirmation by the National Public Health Laboratory on Thursday using real-time polymerase chain reaction testing of skin lesion samples collected from a 31-year-old male, a Ugandan national," Mai told reporters in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

He said the health ministry has activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate the response, leveraging existing incident management systems currently addressing cholera and other public health emergencies.

The minister added that the confirmed case is under isolation at Gudele Hospital, where a team of experts from the government and partner organizations has been mobilized to conduct a detailed field investigation, trace contacts, and ensure close monitoring.

Humphrey Karamagi, the World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative in South Sudan, said the early detection of the disease demonstrates the country's preparedness to handle health threats.

Karamagi said that the WHO has declared mpox a health emergency of international concern and has been working closely with the South Sudanese government to strengthen health workers' capacity in surveillance and response to the highly infectious viral disease, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I can confirm that the country has been following the necessary protocols. We have tested hundreds of suspected cases, and this is the first positive one. The government has been actively monitoring for this and is well-positioned to respond," Karamagi said.

Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease primarily transmitted from animals, such as wild rodents, to humans.

Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with skin lesions or infected bodily fluids, as well as indirect contact with contaminated materials such as bedding. Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, malaise, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and body rashes.