News / Health
Africa declares Mpox public health emergency amid surge in cases and deaths
15 Aug 2024 at 06:44hrs | Views
Africa's top health authority, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has declared an outbreak of mpox a public health emergency across the continent.
Scientists at the Africa CDC have raised concerns about the rapid spread of a new strain of the virus. This year, over 15,000 cases and 461 deaths have been reported in Africa, marking a staggering 160% increase in cases compared to the same period in 2023. Deaths have also risen by approximately 19%.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to neighboring countries, with 18 nations reporting cases. The Africa CDC noted that DR Congo accounts for 96% of all reported cases and deaths. Within the country, nearly 70% of cases involve children under 15, who also represent 85% of the fatalities.
The disease, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, is typically mild but can be fatal. Mpox spreads through close contact with infected individuals, including through sexual contact. The current outbreak began with the spread of an endemic strain known as Clade 1, but a new variant, Clade 1b, has emerged, which appears to spread more easily, especially among children.
Jean Claude Udahemuka from the University of Rwanda described Clade 1b as "undoubtedly the most dangerous so far of all the known strains of mpox."
On Tuesday, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security, emphasizing the need for swift action. He highlighted the urgent need for vaccines, noting that the continent requires over 10 million doses, yet only around 200,000 are currently available. Kaseya outlined a plan to secure more than 10 million doses, starting with three million in 2024, though he did not specify where these vaccines would come from.
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report identified nine African countries where mpox cases have been detected in the past month, including DR Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades, first being identified in humans in DR Congo in 1970. A milder version of the virus spread to over 100 countries in 2022, primarily through sexual contact, leading the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO lifted this emergency 10 months later, citing successful control measures, though no deaths were reported in the UK during that outbreak.
Scientists at the Africa CDC have raised concerns about the rapid spread of a new strain of the virus. This year, over 15,000 cases and 461 deaths have been reported in Africa, marking a staggering 160% increase in cases compared to the same period in 2023. Deaths have also risen by approximately 19%.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to neighboring countries, with 18 nations reporting cases. The Africa CDC noted that DR Congo accounts for 96% of all reported cases and deaths. Within the country, nearly 70% of cases involve children under 15, who also represent 85% of the fatalities.
The disease, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, is typically mild but can be fatal. Mpox spreads through close contact with infected individuals, including through sexual contact. The current outbreak began with the spread of an endemic strain known as Clade 1, but a new variant, Clade 1b, has emerged, which appears to spread more easily, especially among children.
On Tuesday, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security, emphasizing the need for swift action. He highlighted the urgent need for vaccines, noting that the continent requires over 10 million doses, yet only around 200,000 are currently available. Kaseya outlined a plan to secure more than 10 million doses, starting with three million in 2024, though he did not specify where these vaccines would come from.
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report identified nine African countries where mpox cases have been detected in the past month, including DR Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades, first being identified in humans in DR Congo in 1970. A milder version of the virus spread to over 100 countries in 2022, primarily through sexual contact, leading the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO lifted this emergency 10 months later, citing successful control measures, though no deaths were reported in the UK during that outbreak.
Source - Sky News
