Zimbabwe reports first two mpox cases of unspecified variant

Zimbabwe has confirmed its first two cases of mpox, the health ministry said on Sunday, without specifying which variant had been recorded.

The first case was detected in an 11-year-old boy who developed symptoms last month after travelling to South Africa, the statement said. The second case was in a 24-year-old man who fell ill after travelling to Tanzania, it said.

Both patients are recovering, and contact tracing is underway, the statement said. The cases were in the capital Harare and the southern town of Mberengwa.

The World Health Organisation in August declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, as a new variant of the viral infection spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring African countries.

The new "clade 1b" variant has caused global concern as it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.

"The Ministry of Health and Childcare wishes to reassure the public that the situation is under control and urges the Zimbabwean public not to panic," said the statement signed by Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora.

Neighbouring Zambia also reported its first case last week without disclosing the strain.

Mpox typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can kill.

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