Mpox Outbreak Continues to Spread Uncontrolled in Africa

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has raised concerns over the uncontrolled spread of Mpox in Africa, with rising cases reported in several countries. “We can say today that Mpox is not under control in Africa. We still have an increase in cases, which is worrying for all of us,” said Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC.

In just one week, 2,912 new cases were documented, with Morocco reporting its first case, confirming the spread of the disease across all five regions of the continent. Fifteen of the 55 member states of the African Union have reported cases, resulting in 14 deaths within the same week.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It shares similarities with smallpox but is generally less severe. Symptoms include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. The disease spreads from animals to humans and between humans through close contact, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects ¹.

In countries like Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), two strains of the virus are circulating. However, due to insufficient surveillance and testing systems, it’s unclear whether the same applies to other nations. Rwanda has initiated a vaccination campaign, while the DRC plans to begin vaccinations in early October ¹.

As of week 35 in 2024, Africa reported 26,544 cases, including 5,732 confirmed cases and 724 deaths, across all five regions. The continent’s case fatality rate stands at 2.73%. Africa CDC data reveals a 177% surge in Mpox cases and a 38.5% increase in deaths compared to the same period in 2023 ¹.

Vaccine doses have been delivered to the DRC by the European Union and the United States. European nations have pledged hundreds of thousands of doses, while Japan has promised three million. Outside Africa, Mpox cases have been detected in Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden, and Thailand ¹.

On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a global public health emergency due to rising cases of the new Clade 1b strain. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has secured 500,000 doses of Mpox vaccine for impacted African countries, and Nigeria recently received 10,000 doses of the Jynneos Mpox vaccine from the United States government