Sudan reports 5 more monkeypox infections, stoking fears of larger outbreak

Sudan on Tuesday announced five more cases of the monkeypox virus, bringing the tally up to seven patients.

The Health Ministry said in a statement the new cases were detected in the capital of Khartoum and the provinces of West Darfur, North Darfur, and Kassala. The statement did not provide further details.

Four of the seven cases detected so far in the county were in West Darfur, including the first patient of the virus.

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Sudan’s healthcare system has been the victim of long-running domestic conflicts and recent political upheaval, as well as international isolation. It would be hard pressed to handle a large outbreak of the new disease.

The virus originates in primates and other wild animals and causes fever, body aches, chills and fatigue in most patients. People with severe cases can develop a rash and lesions on the face, hands and other parts of the body.

The smallpox-related disease was commonly found in parts of central and west Africa, before spreading to different parts of the world.

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The World Health Organization in July declared the monkeypox a global emergency, underlining the seriousness of the outbreak.