Uganda has confirmed two additional cases of the mpox virus, raising the total number of infections in the country to four, according to the Ministry of Health.
Henry Mwebesa, the ministry’s director general of health services, revealed that the new cases are caused by the clade 1b strain of the virus. This variant, which has sparked global concern, is a newly identified offshoot of the virus that appears to spread more easily between individuals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of mpox a public health emergency following the discovery of this more transmissible variant.
Uganda’s first outbreak of mpox was reported on July 24, when two patients near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the virus. The latest cases, confirmed earlier this week, involve a truck driver and an unidentified patient, according to Ministry of Health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona.
Both patients have been isolated at a hospital in Entebbe, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the capital, Kampala.
Mpox is characterized by flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions and is primarily transmitted through close physical contact. Though typically mild, the disease can be fatal in some cases.
Uganda shares a border with Congo, where the ongoing mpox outbreak first began in January 2023.
