Lara Adejoro The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the risk of mpox spreading to neighbouring countries and globally is high. The Africa CDC noted this in an article on its website on Wednesday. It said cross-border movements, low public awareness, high vulnerability due to factors such as HIV and malnutrition, limited understanding of mpox transmission, and insufficient response capacities, including vaccine shortages, pose significant challenges to containment.
On August 13, 2024, the Africa CDC declared mpox a public health emergency of continental security in Africa, acting under its mandate to address significant public health threats. The decision was driven by the worsening mpox situation on the continent. Since 2022, 40,874 cases and 1,512 deaths have been reported across 15 AU member states.
In 2024 alone, 17,541 cases and 517 deaths have been reported from 13 AU member states. These figures represent a 160 per cent and 19 per cent increase in the number of cases and deaths, respectively, in 2024 compared with the same period in 2023, and a 79 per cent increase in the number of cases was observed in 2023 compared with 2022, according to the centre. It stated that the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounts for 96 per cent of all cases and 97 per cent of all deaths reported in 2024.
“Investigations in the DRC suggest that heterosexual transmission, especially among female sex workers (nine per cent), is driving the outbreak, contrasti.