Maputo — The Mozambican health authorities have detected, over the weekend, the first suspected case in the country of mpox, following the declaration of a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Monday's issue of the Maputo daily "Notícias', the suspected case is a 35-year-old male patient, who presented symptoms of the disease.

The man lives in Bagamoyo neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Maputo city.

The health authorities explained that they have already collected samples to determine whether it is, in fact, the disease.

The suspect is hospitalized, under the observation of the National Institute of Health (INS).

Mpox (formerly known as monkey pox) is an infectious viral disease thatcan occur in human and other animals. It was initially called monkey pox because it was first identified in laboratory monkeys. The name was later changed because monkeys are not the main host of the virus.

There is also a fear that the name will cause stigma about African counties as a source of disease - though, as a hard scientific fact, the vast majority of mpox cases have been diagnosed in Africa.

African geography has also been removed from the names of the subtypes of the disease. What used to be called the "Congo Basin (Central African)' clade has been renamed clade 1, and the "West African' clade is now clade II.

The initial symptoms of mpox infection are fever, muscle pains and a sore throat, followed by a painful rash, headache, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.

The current mpox epidemic began in central Africa in September 2003. As of August 2004, more than 21,000 cases had been reported, the vast majority of them in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 500 fatalities had been reported.

On 14 August, the WHO declared the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern.