Ethiopia has confirmed its first cases of mpox, involving a 21-day-old infant and the child’s mother in Moyale, health officials announced Sunday.
The southern border town of Moyale, a critical trade hub near Kenya and Somalia, is where the infections were detected.
Authorities believe the virus crossed into Ethiopia from neighboring countries, as the infant’s father recently traveled across the border.
Moyale lies along a busy route connecting Ethiopia to Kenya and Somalia, both nations that have previously reported mpox outbreaks.
Several relatives who had close contact with the infected family have been placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure.
A joint statement from the Ministry of Health and Ethiopian Public Health Institute said investigations are ongoing to identify the exact source.
Initial findings indicate cross-border transmission as the most likely cause of the outbreak in this key transit town.
Public health teams have been deployed swiftly to trace contacts and curb further spread along the border regions.
Ethiopia has been vigilant since 2022, when the World Health Organization declared the global mpox outbreak a public health emergency.
The emergence of cases in Moyale underscores the persistent risk of cross-border infections in regions marked by heavy movement.
Health officials stress continued surveillance and cooperation to protect vulnerable communities along Ethiopia’s porous borders.
As Ethiopia confronts its first mpox cases, efforts focus on containment to prevent a wider outbreak in the Horn of Africa.
