KAMPALA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Uganda said Friday it had not yet registered a monkeypox outbreak, after all suspected samples turned negative.
Pontiano Kaleebu, director of state-run Uganda Virus Research Institute, said on social media that the samples from 24 individuals suspected to have monkeypox all tested negative.
"There is no confirmed monkeypox case in Uganda at the moment," he said.
The health ministry said in a statement early last month that it had heightened surveillance following the spread of monkeypox in some parts of the world.
On Thursday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said 12 African countries have reported 1,678 suspected and 104 confirmed cases monkeypox cases.
Ahmed Ogwell, acting director of Africa CDC, told a briefing that the cases have been reported in countries both endemic and non-endemic to monkeypox.
"Unfortunately, 73 deaths have been reported in the continent as a result of the monkeypox outbreak, bringing the case fatality rate of the disease to 4.1 percent," Ogwell said. ■