Mpox cases surge in Australia as 35 cases reported in 15 days

ANKARA

Mpox cases have surged in Australia, with 35 new cases reported in the last 15 days amid the global health emergency.

The New South Wales Health Ministry said on Friday that 93 notifications of mpox cases have been issued in the state since June, following a recent increase in infections, the majority of which have affected men owing to same-sex relations.

"There have been 93 notifications of mpox in NSW since 1 June 2024. Before 1 June, only one case had been detected in NSW in 2024. In 2022, 56 mpox notifications were reported in NSW, and in 2023 there were 12," it said.

Since 2022, there has been a global outbreak of mpox, with over 97,000 cases reported in many countries other than Africa, including Australia.

“With the recent increase in cases, NSW Health is asking people who may be at risk of mpox to stay on the lookout for symptoms,” said NSW Health Executive Director of Health Protection, Dr Jeremy McAnulty.

“Mpox spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, and often starts with small pimple-like skin lesions particularly in areas that are hard to see such as the genitals, anus or buttock," McAnulty added.

Since the beginning of 2024, over a dozen African countries have reported the disease, which is transmitted through close contact, with the Democratic Republic of Congo accounting for more than 90% of reported cases.

According to the WHO, mpox causes rashes and flu-like symptoms.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid