Malawi confirms sixth mpox case

Lilongwe, May 2 (IANS) Malawi recorded one more confirmed mpox case, bringing the total number of cases to six since the first three were confirmed in April.

The Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) announced the update on Thursday, saying the latest case is an 18-year-old student from the capital, Lilongwe.

According to the PHIM, the patient had his samples collected on Wednesday, at a local health facility after presenting with symptoms including fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a skin rash. The samples tested positive for mpox.

Malawi declared a mpox outbreak on April 17, following the confirmation of the first three cases a day earlier, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Malawian government have established an emergency treatment centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital, one of the country's major regional referral facilities located in Lilongwe.

According to the WHO, Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain and low energy. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick.

Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, and it can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).

Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.

For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have a fever, muscle aches, or sore throat first.

The mpox rash often begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It can also start on other parts of the body where contact is made, such as the genitals. It starts as a flat sore, which develops into a blister filled with liquid that may be itchy or painful. As the rash heals, the lesions dry up, crust over, and fall off.

--IANS

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