Zimbabwe has confirmed its first two cases of mpox, the health ministry said on Sunday, without specifying which variant had been recorded.

Zimbabwe has reported its first two cases of mpox, including in the nation’s capital, Harare, and in Mberengwa, a district located in the mineral-rich Midlands province.

Health minister Douglas Mombeshora said both patients were recovering well and the authorities had initiated contact tracing.

Zimbabwe is the latest country to report cases of mpox, the first in its history. Two people, an 11-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man, are known to have been infected, both with recent travel history to other countries.

Zimbabwe reported its first mpox cases yesterday, a child and an adult from two separate towns who had traveled recently, according to an African media report. . At

The World Health Organization in August declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, as a new variant of the viral infection spread from Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring African countries.