Africa’s leading public health organization has declared a “public health emergency of continental security” due to a severe outbreak of mpox, which has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) issued a warning last week about the alarming spread of this viral infection.
Mpox is transmitted through close contact and presents with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Although most cases are mild, the disease can be fatal.
In a live-streamed Zoom briefing, Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya emphasized the urgency of the situation. “We declare today this public health emergency of continental security to mobilize our institutions, our collective will, and our resources to act swiftly and decisively,” he stated.
The outbreak in Congo began with the endemic Clade I strain, but a new variant, Clade Ib, has emerged. This new strain appears to spread more easily, especially among children.
Kaseya highlighted a critical shortage of vaccines, noting that the continent needs more than 10 million doses, but only about 200,000 are currently available. He assured that efforts are underway to rapidly increase the vaccine supply. “We have a clear plan to secure more than 10 million doses in Africa, starting with 3 million doses in 2024,” he said, though he did not specify where these vaccines will be sourced.
The Africa CDC reported over 15,000 mpox cases and 461 deaths in Africa so far this year, marking a 160% increase compared to the same period last year. A total of 18 countries have reported cases. Mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa since it was first detected in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.
In 2022, a milder strain of mpox spread to over a hundred countries, mainly through sexual contact, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern. This emergency was lifted 10 months later as the situation improved.
Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert regarding the new, deadly strain. Additionally, Africa CDC announced that it has received $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union for its response to the outbreak.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pledged to convene an emergency committee to assess whether the outbreak in Congo should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern.
