Confirmed monkeypox (Mpox) cases in Ghana have risen to 302, following the detection of 20 new infections as of Wednesday, July 30, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

On Monday, July 27, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) reported the unfortunate demise of one out of the many individuals who have contracted the disease.

Since Ghana recorded its first Mpox case in June 2022, with five cases, this is the first time any of the infected persons has succumbed to the disease.

In its regular update, the Ghana Health Service noted that as of July 22, 23 new cases were recorded, pushing the total confirmed cases to 257.

Ghana’s confirmed monkeypox cases rose to 234 cases following the detection of 16 new cases as of July 18.

The number of cases stood at 218 following the detection of 21 new infections as of July 14. The Ghana Health Service reported 197 confirmed cases following the detection of 11 new infections as of July 11.

The Service while revealing this information, described the trend as a gradual yet manageable increase and called for sustained public vigilance.

The country has seen a slight uptick in infections. Health officials, however, maintain that the overall situation remains under control.

Mpox spreads primarily through close physical contact. Common symptoms include fever, tiredness, swollen lymph nodes, and a noticeable rash. Although many cases are mild, early medical care is crucial to avoid complications.

In light of the growing Mpox cases, the GHS is boosting nationwide information campaigns to ensure citizens remain aware and careful.

Preventive actions such as avoiding direct contact with sick individuals, practicing proper hygiene, and promptly seeking care when symptoms show are being emphasized.

Officials stress the importance of swift case detection and notification, with field teams and community health workers diligently monitoring developments.

The public is being encouraged to stay watchful, adhere to health precautions, and contribute to collective efforts to stop the virus from spreading.

The government is engaging international organizations for assistance in procuring vaccines to be able to curb the surging number of cases being reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Ghana has provided laboratory PCR reagents to enhance the country’s diagnostic capacity. The donation was officially handed over to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory.

Receiving the supplies on behalf of the GHS, Acting Deputy Director General Dr. Caroline Reindorf Amissah expressed gratitude for WHO’s ongoing logistical and technical support.

“We promise from our end to do our bit, collaborate, go out there, and look for the cases to make sure that this is really brought under control,” she stated.

WHO Country Representative Dr. Fiona Braka emphasized that the organization hopes the reagents will enable rapid diagnosis and prompt public health responses.

The supplies are capable of testing 3,400 suspected Mpox samples, and additional kits provided will allow clade determination for 625 confirmed positive cases.

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Global data

The monkeypox virus was first discovered in Denmark in 1958 in monkeys kept for research, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A nine-month-old boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970 was the first person to have contracted the virus.

According to the World Health Organisation, following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the end of smallpox vaccination worldwide, mpox steadily emerged in central, east and west Africa.

"Since then, mpox has been reported sporadically in central and east Africa (clade I) and west Africa (clade II). In 2003, an outbreak in the United States of America was linked to imported wild animals (clade II).

Since 2005, thousands of cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo every year. In 2017, mpox re-emerged in Nigeria and continues to spread between people across the country and in travellers to other destinations," the WHO reports.

In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas, and then all six WHO regions.

Since 2022, there has also been an upsurge in mpox cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In some areas of the country, a new offshoot of clade I, called clade Ib, has been spreading person-to-person. As of mid-2024, the clade has also been reported in other countries.

Over 120 countries have reported mpox between January 2022 and August 2024, with over 100 000 laboratory-confirmed cases reported and over 220 deaths among confirmed cases.

Following the meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024, held on June 5, 2025, the World Health Organisation stated that "Over the past 12 months, the majority of mpox cases have continued to be reported from the African continent, largely driven by outbreaks of MPXV clade Ib in East African countries, including the DRC, where clade Ia is co-circulating. Sierra Leone, however, is experiencing a rapidly evolving outbreak, which based on available genomic sequencing results, appears to be driven by MPXV clade IIb."

"Outside of the African region, there continues to be a steady report of monthly cases (between about 500 – 1000 monthly), from all regions, mostly reflecting ongoing circulation of MPXV clade IIb among men who have sex with men (MSM)," the WHO added.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) twice. The first was in May 2022, and the second time was in August 2024.

The World Health Organisation works with member states and partners to prevent and respond to outbreaks of mpox. This includes coordinating research on vaccines and treatments, strengthening country health systems, and working to facilitate equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other tools.