\n<\/p>\n
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported the first case of clade 1b mpox in the country.<\/p>\n
The case was reported on February 7 in an adult who recently travelled to Uganda, a country which has reported 2,479 confirmed mpox cases including 16 deaths, since the start of the outbreak in July.<\/p>\n
According to a recent multi-country external situation report by WHO, the African country also reported 1,127 confirmed cases \u2014 the second-highest number of laboratory-confirmed cases \u2014 in the past six weeks, which constitute over a third of all confirmed cases on the continent during this period.<\/p>\n
The country continues to observe an escalation in the outbreak as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi report more stable trends in recent months, the report said.<\/p>\n
Mpox is a viral disease related to the now-eradicated smallpox virus and can spread through close contact and through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles, according to WHO.<\/p>\n
The patient in the UAE started experiencing mpox symptoms on January 11 and was diagnosed with the disease on January 18.<\/p>\n
The patient, whose age has not been disclosed, is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.<\/p>\n
Additionally, at least seven cases of mpox have been identified in other countries among travellers returning from the UAE, indicating possible community transmission within the country, according to WHO.<\/p>\n
The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that while some outbreaks of clade I mpox have killed up to 10% of people who get sick, more recent outbreaks have had lower death rates.<\/p>\n
Those at risk of having more severe infections include infants, people with severely weakened immune systems and pregnant women.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n