KATHMANDU, June 17: The first case of Monkeypox (Mpox) has been detected in Nepal, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. Issuing a statement on Friday, Ministry's Spokesperson Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari said that the viral illness was detected in a foreign national.
"A 60-year-old foreign woman was tested at a hospital in Kathmandu after she showed symptoms similar to Monkeypox," Dr Samir said.
MoHP steps up efforts to combat Mpox in Nepal
"Mpox infection was confirmed today [Friday] after a sample was collected from the suspected woman's body and it was put to test at the National Public Health Laboratory at Teku," he added.
More research into this infectious disease is underway, said the statement.
The infection that is transmitted from one person to another and from animal to human has spread across 111 countries since a global outbreak in 2022-2023, according to the World Health Organization.
Following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the end of smallpox vaccination worldwide, Mpox emerged in central, east and west Africa.
(RSS)
