Zimbabwe has confirmed its first two cases of mpox.

The country’s health ministry said yesterday that the first case was detected in an 11-year-old boy who developed symptoms last month after travelling to South Africa, while the second case was in a 24-year-old man who fell ill after travelling to Tanzania, without specifying which variant had been recorded.

Both patients in capital Harare and the southern town of Mberengwa, are recovering and contact tracing is underway. 

The new “clade 1b” variant has caused global concern as it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.

Neighbouring Zambia also reported its first case last week without disclosing the strain.