Addis Ababa: The Ministry of Health has announced that measures are being taken to prevent monkeypox (Mpox) from entering Ethiopia. Monkeypoxis a disease caused by the monkeypox virus that can spread from person to person, usually through intimate contact, and sometimes from the environment to people through objects or surfaces that a person infected with mpox has touched. On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified Mpox virus as a public health emergency of international concern for it is surging across several African countries. In her media briefing today, Ethiopia's Minister of Health Mekdes Daba revealed that there has been no case of monkeypox in Ethiopia so far. However, she stated that since monkeypox has been declared a public health threat by WHO, preventive measures are being implemented to prevent the disease from entering Ethiopia. These measures include enhancing surveillance at borders and selected areas, increasing laboratory capacity for diagnosing the disease, and stren gthening the expertise of health professionals. Director General of Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Messay Hailu, for his part added that efforts to prevent the disease from entering Ethiopia will continue. The information obtained from the Ministry of Health indicates that monkeypox has occurred in 13 African countries. Source: Ethiopian News Agency