In the WHO African region, 106 of the 11 mpox cases reported in the two weeks to April 23 were in the DRC (also two each in Nigeria and Liberia, and one in Ghana), taking its YTD total to 277 laboratory-confirmed infections. Cases have been reported each week this year from both the DRC and Nigeria. In regions without previously documented mpox transmission, 17 new cases were detected over the past month in the EU (Spain, France, the UK, Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Poland and Greece) and South Korea announced the detection of 16 new cases last week, while in Australia, the first mpox infection since November was announced by NSW Health last week – a Sydney resident with no recent history of travel ‘so there may be some local transmission of the virus occurring’. Read more
IN THE SPACE of two weeks, cholera has caused the deaths of 11 people and sickened 329 in Lubumbashi, a mining hub near the Zambian border and capital of the SE province of Haut-Katanga. The outbreak has hit two areas in the city’s SW, Katuba and Annexe. Read more
Advice for travellers
Closely related to the smallpox virus, mpox (monkeypox) was mainly found in Central and Western Africa, with rodents the suspected reservoir, and monkeys and humans as secondary or ‘spill-over’ hosts. People can be infected by eating undercooked ‘bushmeat’ or handling infected animals, making infection a low risk for travellers in the affected African countries. An outbreak of mpox in countries without previously documented transmission began in 2022. Read more information on the 2022 global outbreak from the WHO. Read more on mpox.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.