Zambia has cumulatively recorded a total of 1,299 suspected MPOX cases and three recorded deaths.

Currently, 25 of those cases are home-managed.

According to the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) weekly status update released on Monday, the country has in the last 10 days recorded 18 new confirmed cases, up from the previously recorded 249 suspected and reported cases.

Zambia's Western Province, which borders Namibia, has so far recorded 32 cumulative cases since the disease broke out in October last year.

It has recorded the fourth-highest rate of infection among the ten provinces. 

Topping the list is Muchinga Province, bordering Tanzania, where the first case came from and which now has at least 57 cases.

That is followed by Copperbelt Province, bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 53 active cases, while the capital, Lusaka, is third with 40 cases.

Central Province has 28 cases on record; Northwestern, bordering Angola and partially Congo, has 21; while Southern, mostly bordering Zimbabwe and partially Botswana, has cumulatively recorded nine cases.

The lowest rate of infection is in Northern Province, with only 4, while Luapula, also bordering Congo, has never recorded a single case.

Health authorities say surveillance will continue, but prevention depends heavily on public awareness and early reporting.

MPOX can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, confusion, and brain infections, and it can be fatal.

Mpox spreads through close physical contact with an infected person, including handshakes, hugs, kisses, or sexual intercourse. 

Symptoms include high temperature, severe headaches, sores in the eyes, and rashes or lesions.