Addis Ababa: The death toll from Africa’s ongoing monkeypox outbreak since early 2024 has risen to 979, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The total number of infected people was 38,300 (of which 7,339 were confirmed).
In an online media briefing Thursday night, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya said the continent had reported 3,186 new cases in the past week alone, with 489 confirmed cases and 53 deaths. Said to be a person.
Mr. Caseya stressed that the outbreak remains a major public health concern across the continent. According to Xinhua news agency, cases have been reported in 16 countries across all five African regions.
Central Africa is the worst-hit region, accounting for more than 99 percent of all mpox-related deaths reported this year, according to data from the African Union’s specialized health agency. The six Central African countries have reported 33,735 suspected cases, 7,109 confirmed cases and 975 deaths this year.
“MPOX remains a major public health problem in Africa due to the increasing number of infections. Last week, there were 3,186 new infections. “We are seeing between 2,500 and 3,000 new cases (on a weekly average),” Kaseya said. “We are not seeing a decline in the number of deaths. This means the epidemic is still present and continues to grow, and we must continue to focus on stopping it.”
Kaseya said the number of mpox cases reported this year recorded a staggering 300 per cent increase compared to the total number of cases recorded in 2023. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Uganda are the top five countries in terms of reported mpox cases. It has the highest number of confirmed cases, accounting for 98.7 percent of all cases.
Mr Kaseya called for further intensification of efforts to combat the spread of the virus, stressing the urgent need to prioritize surveillance and research in the most vulnerable segments of the population, such as children under 15 years of age.
In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared Africa’s ongoing mpox outbreak a continental security public health emergency. Shortly thereafter, the World Health Organization also declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, issuing the highest level of global alert for mpox for the second time in two years.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958. It is thought to be transmitted from wild animals such as rodents to humans, or through human-to-human contact. It is a rare viral disease that is usually spread through body fluids, droplets, and other contaminants. Infections usually cause fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
(IANS)
