Health authorities in Kosovo have confirmed the country’s first case of mpox after a man returned from Africa.
According to Kosovo’s Institute of Public Health, a 30-year-old Kosovo citizen was admitted to a hospital on December 24 after returning from a West African country with symptoms consistent with the disease.
The specific West African country was not disclosed.
“His symptoms were fever, chills, and skin changes in the face and hands,” the institute said in a statement, adding that the patient is currently in stable condition.
Health authorities have traced all individuals who had contact with the patient and provided recommendations for infection prevention and control measures, the statement added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted in late November that the mpox outbreak continues to represent a public health emergency. The agency had declared the emergency in August when a new form of mpox spread from the severely affected Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
