Sudanese Federal Health Ministry On Sunday reported the country’s first monkeypox case, detected in West Darfur state, reported The Reuters.
In a statement, the health ministry announced that the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Sudan comes from a 16-year-old student from West Darfur state. The case was confirmed by the National Laboratory for Public Health (STAC) in Khartoum.
The statement added that the Sudanese authorities are currently conducting an active investigation to determine the source of the virus.
The General Directorate of Health Emergencies and Epidemic Control indicated that there were 38 suspected cases of the disease, all of which were negative except for the case of West Darfur.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the epidemic a global health emergency after the monkeypox virus was detected in more than 70 countries. Only two African countries- South Africa and Morocco- have reported positive cases so far.
Although the declaration does not impose requirements on national governments, it serves as an urgent call for action. The WHO can only issue guidance and recommendations to its member states, not mandates.
Last week, the WHO recommended that gay and bisexual men limit their number of sexual partners to protect themselves from monkeypox and help slow transmission of the rapidly spreading virus.
As per the UN health body, men who have sex with men are the group at the highest risk of infection currently. About 99% of cases are among men, and at least 95% of those patients are men who have sex with men.
In related news, thousands of Sudanese protesters came out on the streets in the capital on Sunday to demand an end to military rule and tribal clashes that have killed at least 116 people.
Sudan is facing a bad economic and political crisis that has worsened since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power last year and a transitional government was removed.
