More than half of the mpox cases reported in Guinea-Bissau have been among children, local authorities have said, almost two months since the country announced an epidemic. A national outbreak was declared on 4 July, just over a week after a 27-year-old woman became the first confirmed case of mpox in the west African country. Since then, there have been seven confirmed cases and 46 suspected cases.
Half of those patients have been children, with 16 under the age of four. The virus is probably spreading undetected, leaving even more children at risk, due to the country’s fragile health surveillance systems, according to Unicef. Sandra Martins, the country’s deputy representative for Unicef, stated that this is the first time mpox cases have been reported in Guinea-Bissau, making even a small outbreak a major public health event.
Mpox is an infectious viral disease that can be transmitted through close contact. There have been more than 2,000 mpox-related deaths among tens of thousands of cases recorded across east, central and west Africa since January 2024. Health workers say the Clade variants are consistent with viruses circulating in neighbouring countries, meaning that a risk of cross-border transmission in the region remains strong.
The vast majority of confirmed cases are in the Bissau autonomous sector, where the capital is, while one case is in the nearby Biombo area. No deaths have been reported to date. Dr Magda Robalo, a former health minister who led the country’s Covid-19 response, emphasized the need to prioritize increased surveillance and reinforce frontline capacity to eliminate the biggest gaps in the health system.
She noted that even though the numbers are small, new cases have appeared intermittently over several weeks, indicating ongoing transmission. The outbreak comes as the country grapples with infrastructure challenges, including a petrol scarcity that left Bissau without electricity throughout Thursday, and the aftermath of the suspension of last November’s presidential election by the military, which remains in power. Furthermore, the country is still reeling from the suspension of a US-funded trial on hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns, which was halted earlier this year due to ethical concerns and procedural flaws.
This decision has highlighted sensitivities around emergency health interventions. Community health workers have begun a door-to-door public awareness campaign to build public trust in the public health sector, which is seen as vital for addressing the outbreak. With primary schools scheduled to reopen across the country in September, these grassroots initiatives are taking on added importance.
