Muscat – Ministry of Health (MoH) has confirmed that no cases of mpox (monkeypox) have been recorded in Oman so far, urging citizens and residents to follow news from official sources.

Represented by Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Emergency Management Centre, MoH is closely monitoring developments regarding the mpox virus after World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency.

MoH also confirmed the availability of necessary laboratory tests to diagnose the disease and highlighted its ongoing coordination with WHO and regional and international organisations involved in monitoring infectious diseases.

Mpox cases have now been detected outside Africa with one reported in Sweden and two in Pakistan amid fears that the virus would continue to spread. However, WHO and International Federation of the Red Cross have advised against travel restrictions to stop the spread of mpox.

For the second time since 2022, mpox has been declared a global health emergency as the virus has spread rapidly across the African continent and risks entering other continents.

On Wednesday, WHO issued its highest level of alert for the viral disease, noting that more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year have already exceeded last year’s figures.