On Tuesday, August 13th, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared mpox a public health emergency of continental concern. This announcement follows a rapid increase in cases across several African countries, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the outbreak has spread beyond its endemic regions.
Mpox, a viral infection that causes symptoms such as rashes, flu-like symptoms, and pus-filled lesions, has been spreading at an alarming rate. Since the beginning of the year, the continent has recorded over 38,000 cases and 1,456 deaths, with the DRC being the hardest hit. The virus, which is transmitted through close contact, is particularly dangerous for children, pregnant women, and individuals with compromised immune systems.
Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa CDC, emphasized the gravity of the situation, calling the declaration a “clarion call for action.” He stated that the continent could no longer afford to be reactive and must take aggressive steps to contain and eliminate the threat. The declaration is expected to mobilize resources and coordinate efforts across African nations to address the outbreak more effectively.
The current outbreak in Africa involves a more dangerous strain of the virus, known as clade 1b, which appears to spread more easily through routine close contact. This strain differs from the milder version that caused a global outbreak in 2022, leading to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a public health emergency of international concern, a status that was lifted 10 months later when the crisis was brought under control. On Wednesday, WHO declared a global emergency over this most recent outbreak of mpox. On Thursday, Sweden announced their first case of mpox.
The Africa CDC’s declaration aims to galvanize a coordinated response from governments, potentially increasing the flow of medical supplies and aid to affected areas. Kaseya also noted that there are plans to secure approximately 10 million doses of vaccines to limit the spread of the disease.
The international community, including health authorities outside Africa, is closely monitoring the situation to assess the risk of the outbreak spreading further.
