Sudan Reports First Monkeypox Case

Sudan reported its first confirmed monkeypox case, reported the Federal Ministry of Health late on Sunday, 31 August 2022.

A 16-year-old student was confirmed sick with the disease in West Darfur state. Montaser Othman, the director of the epidemic control, said there had been around 38 other “suspected cases”, but all had tested negative for the virus.

An investigation is underway by the federal and state health ministries to determine the source of the infection.

According to Othman, the ministry is also working on identifying and preparing isolation centres, as well as training cadres, raising awareness and educating cadres and citizens, as well as strengthening the public health laboratories, which plays its full role in examination and diagnosis.

Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease a public health emergency of international concern.

Monkeypox is an emerging infectious disease, which was confirmed in May 2022. The initial cluster of cases were found in the UK, where the first case was detected on 6 May 2022 in an individual with travel links to Nigeria.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

The disease is caused by a virus transmitted to humans from infected animals, most commonly rodents. It can be spread to other people but person-to-person transmission alone cannot easily sustain an outbreak. Monkeypox still occurs sporadically in parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. Typically, case fatality in monkeypox outbreaks has been 1-10%, but with appropriate care, most patients will recover. 

For more information on monkeypox, visit www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html.