Mpox disease has killed over 500 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone this year, according to official figures
Africa’s top health authority has declared a public health emergency amid an outbreak of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in several countries across the continent, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it has killed hundreds of people so far this year.
Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced the measure during an online press briefing on Tuesday.
“We declare this PHECS [Public Health Emergency of International Concern] to mobilize our institutions, our collective will, and our resources to act swiftly and decisively,” Kaseya said. “There is no need for travel restrictions at this time,” he added.
Mpox is primarily transmitted through skin and mucosal contact with an infected person, contaminated materials, or infected animals. Symptoms include an acute rash, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, a high fever, headache, and muscle and body aches. The virus was first detected in macaque monkeys in the late 1950s. The first human case, according to the WHO, was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire) in 1970, where the disease has remained endemic.
Last week, the Africa CDC issued a warning about the viral infection spreading at an alarming rate, with a new variant known as Clade Ib circulating particularly in the conflict-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the health agency, previously unaffected countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, have reportedly had outbreaks, with a total of 2,863 confirmed cases and 517 deaths in the Democratic Republic.
In June, South Africa’s health ministry reported five cases of the infection; a 37-year-old man died from having contracted the disease.
On Tuesday, Kaseya announced that he had signed an agreement with the EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority and biotechnology firm Bavarian Nordic for the procurement and “rapid” distribution of 200,000 doses of vaccines to the affected states. “We have a clear plan to secure more than 10 million doses in Africa, starting with 3 million doses in 2024,” he stated.
“This is not just another challenge; it’s a crisis that demands our collective action… We urge our international partners to seize this moment to act differently and collaborate closely with Africa CDC to provide the necessary support to our member states,” Kaseya added.
Speaking at an emergency committee briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the organization has established a regional response plan that will require an initial $15 million to combat the spread of Mpox in Africa. According to him, $1.45 million had been released from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies, with plans to release more in the coming days.
The WHO committee meeting had been called to discuss whether the outbreak in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. The global health body previously declared Mpox a PHEIC in May 2022 until July 2023, when a milder version of the virus spread to more than a hundred countries, overwhelmingly affecting gay men.
