Mozambique reported two more Mpox cases in the past 24 hours, both confirmed in Matola, Maputo province, bringing the total number of positive cases to 33 in three weeks. Health authorities also indicate a total of 222 suspected cases since the outbreak began on July 11, the news agency Lusa reported on Thursday, August 7.
According to the daily bulletin from the National Directorate of Public Health, cited by the news agency, there have been no recorded deaths associated with the disease to date. The document also reports 22 new suspected cases in the last 24 hours, registered in the city and province of Maputo, as well as in the provinces of Niassa, Tete, Zambézia, and Manica. The number of contacts being monitored by health authorities now totals 89.
Niassa province remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 28 of the 33 positive cases. The remaining cases were identified in Manica (2) and Maputo province (3). During a press conference in Maputo, the National Director of Public Health, Quinhas Fernandes, called for calm and the fight against misinformation about Mpox. “We make a strong appeal so that there is no misinformation and no panic. It is important not to discriminate against patients who have Mpox,” he said, recalling that the first case of the disease in the country, recorded in 2022, was controlled without alarmism.
Authorities anticipate the arrival of Mpox vaccines in September as a way to prevent a potential worsening of the outbreak. The Government has already strengthened border surveillance with screening and testing teams and assures that the country has the technical capacity to respond to the current outbreak. Mozambique has four thousand laboratory tests available, of which more than 160 have already been used. Additionally, there are one thousand specific tests for reagent analysis aimed at identifying virus strains.
Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since January 2025, 77,458 cases have been reported in 22 Southern African countries, with 501 confirmed deaths. In Mozambique, the first case was recorded in October 2022 in Maputo city. Currently, the country has testing capacity in all provincial capitals through the Public Health laboratory network.
Source: Diário Económico
