Monkeypox: Ghana Health Service Reveals Confirmed Cases Shoot Up to 18

• Monkeypox cases in Ghana have increased to 18 as of June 14, according to the Ghana Health Service
• GHS Director Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said the cases were discovered during testing for 72 suspected cases
• He said the country was on top of the situation because health officials were now actively searching for cases of the viral disease

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed that the positive monkeypox cases in the country have increased from five to 18.

Briefing journalists on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, in Accra, the Director of GHS Patrick Kuma-Aboagye disclosed that out of 72 suspected cases sampled as of June 14, 2022, 18 had been confirmed positive.

He revealed that the last case was discovered a week ago, around June 7.

"Let's not make it appear as if Monkeypox had just appeared in Ghana. We can't have a disease that spreads to the countries to your left and right, and then the virus jumps over you. But now that we are actively searching, we are finding them, which is good because it means we can stop the spread," Joy News quoted Dr Kuma-Aboagye in a report.

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He disclosed further that the infected people's ages range from 9 months to 41 years. No deaths have been reported as a result of the virus.

The GHS boss said most of the cases had been reported in Greater Accra, Ashanti, Bono, and the Eastern regions.

First cases of Monkeypox

YEN.com.gh reported previously that five cases of the steadily spreading Monkeypox viral disease were detected in Ghana in May.

The GHS disclosed at a press briefing on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 , that 12 suspected cases were detected and were investigated out of which five turned out positive. The cases were recorded in three regions: Eastern, Western, and Greater Accra.

The viral disease has been spreading in temperate regions of the world with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) becoming the first Gulf state to record a case for sometime now.

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According to the BBC, the Czech Republic and Slovenia also reported their first cases on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, joining 18 other countries to detect the virus outside Africa, where it is commonly known to breakout.

The WHO has said as of 21 May, 92 laboratory confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported from 12 countries. These countries, according to WHO are not endemic for monkeypox virus.

Source: YEN.com.gh