Republic of the Congo declares monkeypox epidemic after 19 cases confirmed

• The Republic of the Congo has declared a monkeypox epidemic, according to health officials.
• This comes after more than 19 cases were confirmed across five departments, including the capital Brazzaville.
• In 2022, the WHO declared an outbreak of monkeypox a global health emergency, which spread to Europe and North America.

Republic of the Congo has declared an epidemic of mpox after 19 cases were confirmed across five departments, including the capital Brazzaville.

No deaths have yet been recorded, Health Minister Gilbert Mokoki said in a statement on Tuesday.

He called on the public to take precautions including avoiding close contact with suspected cases, avoiding contact with animals and avoiding handling game meat with bare hands.

MONKEYPOX: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS — AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the virus mpox to replace the older term monkeypox, citing concerns of stigma and racism associated with the name.

Vials of the JYNNEOS smallpox and monkeypox vaccine are placed on a table during a clinic offered by the Pima County Department of Public Health at Abrams Public Health Center in Tucson, Arizona, on Aug. 20, 2022. (REUTERS/Rebecca Noble)

Mpox was first detected in humans in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, according to the WHO.

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Symptoms include fever, aches and skin lesions.

In 2022, the WHO declared an outbreak that spread to Europe and North America a global health emergency.