Mozambican health authorities have confirmed on Thursday, July 17, two additional cases of mpox in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to six—all concentrated in the northern province of Niassa.
The National Directorate of Public Health, in its latest bulletin covering data from 11 to 16 July, also reported 23 suspected cases, with eight patients currently in isolation and 27 individuals under active monitoring. The two newly confirmed cases were found in the Lago district of Niassa, while three more suspected cases have been identified in both Niassa and Tete provinces. Authorities have stated that no deaths have occurred as a result of the outbreak thus far.
According to government officials, the confirmed cases have links to neighbouring Malawi, where a wider outbreak has affected nearly 50 individuals. Council of Ministers spokesman Inocêncio Impissa confirmed that the infected individuals were Mozambican nationals who had recently travelled from Malawi. He assured the public that the situation is under control and that the government has taken proactive measures to prevent further spread, including placing confirmed patients in quarantine within the Lago district and closely monitoring their health status. The Ministry of Health reported that all patients remain clinically stable and are currently undergoing home isolation under medical supervision.
This marks the first occurrence of mpox cases in Mozambique during the current regional outbreak, which has been spreading across multiple African countries since early 2024. From January to July this year, over 77,000 mpox cases and 501 deaths were reported across 22 countries in the African region, according to the World Health Organisation.
Mozambique previously reported its initial mpox cases in 2022, and now joins a list of southern African nations—including South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—grappling with renewed infections. Mpox, a zoonotic viral disease first identified in 1970 in the DRC, remains a global health concern, with WHO declaring it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in August 2024.