Africa faces an escalating mpox health crisis, with over 1,100 deaths and approximately 48,000 cases recorded since January 2024, prompting urgent warnings from the African Union’s health watchdog about the outbreak’s severity.
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC chief of staff and head of the executive office, expressed serious concern during an online briefing: “The situation is not yet under control. We are still on the upward trend generally.”
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He emphasized the critical need for immediate action to prevent a potentially more devastating pandemic than COVID-19.
The outbreak has now spread to 19 African nations, with Mauritius, a popular tourist destination known for its pristine beaches and waters, becoming the latest country to report cases.
The situation has become particularly alarming in Uganda, which recently reported its first mpox-related death.
Dr. Ngongo highlighted the urgent need for resources: “What we need is the continuous political and financial mobilisation.”
He warned that without proper intervention, mpox could develop into a pandemic “which would be much more severe than COVID-19.”
The virus, previously known as monkeypox, spreads through close physical contact between humans and can also be transmitted from infected animals to humans.
Symptoms include fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a characteristic rash that develops into blisters. The disease has two main variants – clade 1 and clade 2.
Adding to international concern, the United Kingdom recently reported its first case of the more severe mpox variant, clade 1b. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which remains the epicenter of the outbreak with the highest death toll, has initiated a vaccination campaign to combat the spread.
Source: AFP
