Kampala, Oct 25 (IANS): Uganda's Ministry of Health on Friday warned that the monkeypox outbreak is quickly spreading in the East African country.

During the 30th Annual Health Sub-Program Joint Review Mission held here, Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng spoke of a "quite fast trend" in monkeypox cases across the country, with at least 19 districts affected since the outbreak was declared in early August.

She said Uganda is following closely behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi in the number of confirmed cases of the highly viral disease in Africa.

"They [cases] are a little too many. In the last few days, the numbers of confirmed cases are increasing quite fast," said Aceng. "I want to remind the districts to reactivate the taskforces and do your work. The partners [development agencies] on ground will support you. We all must rise up to the job and ensure that we control monkeypox as quickly as possible."

Uganda on Wednesday confirmed its first monkeypox death as the cumulative number of laboratory-confirmed infections hit 164 in the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which spreads through close contact. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle aches, skin rash, and back pain.

In August, the World Health Organisation declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, highlighting its potential for further global transmission.