Mpox No Longer Classified as Public Health Emergency – Health Minister 

The Minister of Health, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced that Mpox is no longer classified as a public health emergency of international concern. 

He explained that coordinated multisectoral measures, sustained vaccinations, and intensified public sensitisation had significantly reduced infections nationwide. 

Currently, only one person is on admission, with no critical cases, and weekly infections have declined from 28 to seven. 

While responding to an urgent question posed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and asked on his behalf by Mr Habib Iddrisu, MP for Tolon, on the status of Mpox infections, Mr. Akandoh said that as of March 3, 2026, Ghana had recorded 1,038 confirmed cases across 124 districts, with eight deaths. 

He noted that the Greater Accra and Western regions remain the most affected due to their dense populations. 

The Minister disclosed that 31,231 people had received vaccinations in the Ashanti, Western, and Greater Accra regions. 

He assured Parliament that government would continue to sustain the national response, strengthen the country’s health security architecture, and foot the medical bills of affected persons. 

Since the outbreak in May 2025, the Ministry of Health, through the Ghana Health Service, has implemented home isolation, sustained laboratory testing, and vaccination campaigns. 

Civil society’s organisations and the media have also intensified public education, and Mr. Akandoh urged members of Parliament (MPs) to join efforts in sensitising their constituents. 

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus. 

It was first identified in 1958 in monkeys used for research and later recognised in humans in 1970. 

It was discovered in monkeys in 1958; first human case reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. It spreads through close contact with infected humans, animals, or contaminated materials. 

Common signs of infection include rash (often starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body), fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes,fatigue and low energy. Treatment is mostly supportive of care (hydration, pain relief, and treating secondary infections). 

Antivirals like tecovirimat may be used in severe cases while vaccination provide protection against mpox. 

Avoiding contact with infected individuals or animals, and ensuring good hygiene practices by (handwashing, disinfecting surfaces) and use of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings. 

Source: GNA