The viral disease has swept through a number of African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo. The US said it had provided $17 million of extra assistance to help the continent. The African Union's health authority has declared a public health emergency over an mpox outbreak on the continent.
"With a heavy heart but with an unyielding commitment to our people, to our African citizens, we declare mpox as [a] public health emergency of continental security," Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said during an online media briefing on Tuesday. The World Health Organization has convened its emergency committee to discuss the outbreak and was expected to decide on Wednesday whether it represents a public health emergency of international concern. Growing mpox outbreak in Africa Africa CDC, headquartered in Addis Ababa, reports over 15,000 cases of mpox and 461 deaths in Africa so far this year, with cases in 18 countries.
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) began with the spread of an endemic strain, Clade I. A new variant, Clade Ib, appears to spread more easily via routine close contact, especially among children. Most cases are mild, but the virus can kill.
It has spread to several other African countries, including neighboring Rwanda, Burundi, and the Central African Republic. "Mpox has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across our continent, families have been torn apart and th.