Zimbabwe is the latest country to report cases of mpox, the first in its history. Two people, an 11-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man, are known to have been infected, both with recent travel history to other countries.

Zimbabwe has confirmed its first two cases of mpox, the health ministry said on Sunday, without specifying which variant had been recorded.

Zimbabwe has reported its first two cases of mpox, including in the nation’s capital, Harare, and in Mberengwa, a district located in the mineral-rich Midlands province.

Addressing a press briefing, the director general of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, said this year 42,438 mpox cases have been recorded in 18 African countries. Some 3051 new cases were recorded in the past week, with new outbreaks reported in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Zimbabwe has confirmed its first two cases of mpox, days after Zambia reported its first case. The cases, whose variants have not been identified, were detected in people who were from or had