Within one week, the number of mpox cases in Africa increased by over 2,000 but the number of countries affected remains 13, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Addressing a press briefing today, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Chief of Staff and Head of Executive Office at the Africa CDC, said in spite of high number of cases reported so far, some countries are dealing with the weakness of surveillance and gross underreporting is being driven by low testing rate thus potentially impacting contact tracing.
At the press briefing, Africa CDC Director General, Jean Kaseya, officially declared mpox a public health emergency of continental security.
“Africa CDC did not sit in its office and make a declaration. No, it was a consultative process,” Kaseya said.
According to Kaseya, mpox is not just an African issue. Instead, he described mpox as a global threat, one that knows no boundaries, no race or creed. “It is a virus that exploit our vulnerabilities going on our weakest point, and it is in this moment of vulnerability that we must find our greatest style and demonstrate that we are all learning from the covid lesson, and we are playing solidarity,” the director-general added.
Since January 2022, Africa has recorded over 40,000 cases with nearly 2,000 deaths. The situation has worsened significantly in 2024, with the number of cases in the first half of the year already 160% higher compared to the same period in 2023. In the previous week, there were 887 new cases and five new deaths.
This story is developing