A case of MPOX detected in Senegal, Dakar takes measures to fight the disease

Other West African countries, such as Liberia, Guinea and Ghana, have also been affected by the virus, with deaths, according to official data.

The Senegalese Ministry of Health said it was informed Friday of "the confirmation of a case" of Mpox linked to "a foreign national who entered Senegal on August 19," in a statement released Saturday. The patient was "placed in isolation" in a Dakar hospital and his condition is "stable."

The ministry, after confirming this case, "immediately implemented all necessary measures to prevent any spread of the disease," without giving further details.

The WHO announced in early June that it was maintaining its alert for the Mpox epidemic, which is mainly affecting Africa, and called for "continued international support."

Since the beginning of 2024, more than 37,000 confirmed cases of MPOX have been reported to the WHO by 25 countries, including 125 deaths, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the time.

Mpox, caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, is mainly manifested by a high fever and the appearance of skin lesions, called vesicles.

First identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease remained confined to around ten African countries for a long time.