NAIROBI, Aug 22, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Burundi has confirmed 171 cases of mpox, the health minister said on Thursday, following confirmation of the first cases in the country last month.

  Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals that can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.

  "We already had a cumulative of 171 confirmed positive cases, 137 of which are still active," Health Minister Polycarpe Ndayikeza told AFP.

  "So far there have been no deaths from mpox in Burundi," he added.

  Three cases of mpox were detected in Burundi in late July, with the health ministry reporting 153 confirmed cases on August 18.

  "The epidemic continues to gain ground," the ministry said last month, adding it was in the process of creating isolation wards in district hospitals to care for mpox patients.

  An official told AFP the cases detected appeared to be the "new variant" spreading in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

  While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain -- known as Clade 1b -- has driven the recent surge in cases.

  Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared an international health emergency over the latest outbreak.

  Cases are surging in the region with outbreaks reported in the DRC, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, but have also been detected in Asia and Europe.