With the continued spread of Mpox across the continent, the African Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has written to all African health ministers, calling for coordinated efforts to tackle the infection and improved testing methods. In a letter dated 23 August and signed by the Africa CDC Director-General, Jean Kaseya, the public health body said the disease was spreading rapidly, and cases have almost tripled within a short period. This is unlike what was obtainable in 2022 when Mpox was first declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Mr Kaseya said that the case fatality rate of the disease is high at about 3 per cent and has been linked to HIV which makes it more concerning. “Several countries without previous cases have recently reported imported cases of their first Mpox cases for 2024. Given this trend, there is a high risk that it could spread beyond Africa as well,” the letter read.
Mr Kaseya noted that Mpox was declared a public health emergency by the agency on 13 August, after assessing the danger that the onslaught was posing to the continent. He said the declaration was made after “Africa CDC called for a meeting of an independent high-level technical body called Emergency Consultative Group (ECG).” PREMIUM TIMES delivers fact-based journalism for Nigerians, by Nigerians — and our community of supporters, the readers who donate, make our work possible.
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