Health authorities in Guinea have confirmed that the country has recorded over 200 mpox cases since the outbreak began, with neighbouring countries also reporting increasing infections.
As of Friday, the number of confirmed mpox cases in Guinea has reached 206, according to Sory Keira, spokesperson for the National Agency for Health Security.
The outbreak, which started in September last year, has led to one fatality and 77 hospitalisations.
Mpox, a viral disease related to smallpox, can spread from animals to humans and through direct physical contact between individuals.
First identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the illness is marked by fever, muscle aches, and distinctive skin lesions that resemble boils. In severe cases, it can be fatal.
The virus has two main subtypes, known as clade 1 and clade 2.
While mpox has long been endemic in Central Africa, it gained global attention in May 2022 after the clade 2 variant spread internationally, primarily impacting gay and bisexual men.
World Health Organization director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated last month that “the virus remains an international health emergency” due to the rising number of infections in West Africa.
In June, WHO reaffirmed the global threat posed by mpox, stating the emergency classification would continue “based on the continuing rise in the number of cases, including a recent increase in West Africa, and likely ongoing undetected transmission in some countries beyond the African continent.”
Across the region, Sierra Leone has reported 3,350 cases and 16 deaths between January and late May.
Liberia, according to its National Public Health Institute, had 71 active cases as of early June.
Other countries including DR Congo, Uganda, and Burundi have also seen thousands of reported cases so far this year, WHO data shows.