Mpox Soars In Australia, There Are 35 New Cases Most Of The Gay Men

JAKARTA - The case of Mpox (masspox) in Australia has experienced a significant spike with 35 new cases reported in the last 15 days amid a global health emergency.

The Ministry of Health of New South Wales on Friday reported that since June, there have been 93 notifications of the state'smpox case, most of which affect men involved in same-sex relationships.

"Since June 1, 2024, there have been 93 notifications of the MPX case in NSW. Before June 1, only one case was detected in NSW in 2024. In 2022, there were 56 notifications of the MPX in NSW, and in 2023 there were 12," said the ministry. reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, August 17.

Since 2022, there has been a global outbreak ofmpox with reports of more than 97,000 cases in various countries outside Africa, including Australia.

"With the recent increase in cases, NSW's Health asks people who may be at risk of contracting the Mpox to remain alert to the symptoms of the disease," NSW's Health Protection Executive Director, Dr. Jeremy McAnulty.

"Mpox spreads through close skin-to-slit contacts, including sexual contact, and often begins with small skin lesions such as acne, especially in difficult areas that look like genitals, anus, or buttocks," continued McAnulty.

Since early 2024, more than a dozen African countries have reported the disease, which was transmitted through close contact, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recorded more than 90 percent of reported cases.

According to WHO, thempox causes rashes and flu-like symptoms.