Malta detects first case since mpox declared global ‘health emergency’

On Thursday, a male Maltese national, who recently returned from abroad, showed up at Mater Dei with typical rashes and subsequently tested positive for the infectious viral disease.

This is the first time a case of mpox has been detected in Malta since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox surge in Africa a ‘global public health emergency’ earlier in August.

Malta registered a total of 35 mpox cases until November 2023.

On 19 August, the Ministry for Health said no recent cases had been reported in Malta, assuring the authorities were monitoring the escalating mpox outbreak.

Last week, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci, told government broadcaster PBS there is “no cause for alarm” about the spread of mpox.

Similarly, virologist Christopher Barbara explained that people should not compare mpox to the COVID-19 pandemic, “as the viruses are completely different”.

“Mpox requires close physical interaction for transmission, so we are not expecting the virus to be spread so easily”, Barbara said.

Ministry confirms case

Update Friday 12:00 | On Friday morning, the health ministry confirmed the “detection of an imported case of mpox”, adding that “the specific clade of the mpox virus of this case” has not yet been identified.

What is mpox?

“Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household”, the WHO explains in a detailed fact sheet.

Close contact includes skin-to-skin, such as touching or sex, and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, such as kissing.

It can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox, such as talking or breathing close to one another – which can generate infectious respiratory particles.

Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

Cover Image: World Health Organisation