Browsing: Infectious Dieases

mpox Uganda
  • When she tested positive for mpox, the news left Anna, a Ugandan, deeply shocked.
  • Anna had never imagined that the disease she had been reading about on her smartphone was what she was suffering from. Yet, she did not lose hope.
  • As of 18 December 2024, Uganda’s Ministry of Health reports show that 1,089 cumulative mpox cases had been confirmed.

Twenty-year-old Anna Akola smiles, a beautiful wide smile that lights up her whole face. She speaks very softly, and if you are not attentive, you can miss her words. It is hard to believe that this is the same person who, a fortnight ago, was writhing in pain and discomfort in the isolation unit at Pallisa General Hospital in Eastern Uganda.

Anna had been diagnosed with mpox, a viral disease that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024. …