Gabon confirms its first case of mpox

The health ministry said the country was on 'maximum alert' after the virus observed in 30 year old man

Gabon has reported its first case of mpox in a man who had returned from a trip to Uganda, its health ministry said.

Cases of the infectious disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have been surging in East Africa, but have also been detected in Asia and Europe.

The 30-year-old who lives in Gabon had "returned from a two-week trip to Uganda, which has been impacted by the epidemic", the ministry said in a statement Thursday.

"The patient is in a good state generally... and has been put in isolation," it added.

The health ministry said the country was on "maximum alert" for the virus, and it was "reinforcing its preparations against mpox coming into Gabon."

It added that it was also preparing a "nationwide surveillance and testing system".

Mpox is a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals that can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.

While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain -- known as Clade 1b -- has driven the recent surge in cases.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared an international health emergency over the latest outbreak.