The Gambia reported its first mpox case on Tuesday amid rising infections in several neighboring countries.
The Ministry of Health announced that a single case was detected on Friday through routine surveillance. Since mpox is not currently circulating in the country, this single detection constitutes an outbreak, prompting an immediate response.
The ministry is actively conducting contact tracing, case finding, and community engagement to contain the spread.
Mpox, caused by a virus related to smallpox, can be transmitted to humans from infected animals and spreads between people through close physical contact. First identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the disease causes fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be fatal. There are two known subtypes: clade 1 and clade 2.
The Gambia is currently conducting genetic sequencing to determine which subtype is involved.
The outbreak comes as nearby countries report increasing cases. Sierra Leone recorded 3,350 cases and 16 deaths from January to late May 2025. Liberia had about 71 active cases as of early June, while Guinea recently reported over 200 cases since last September.
Across the region, thousands of cases have been reported this year in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Burundi, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Last month, WHO’s director declared mpox an international health emergency amid rising cases in West Africa.
AFP
