Africa’s foremost public health authority issued a “continental security public health emergency” on Tuesday due to an mpox outbreak that has expanded from the Democratic Republic of Congo to nearby countries.
Mpox spreads through close physical contact, causing flu-like symptoms along with pus-filled lesions. While the majority of cases are mild, the virus can be fatal in some instances.
The Congo outbreak initially involved an endemic strain referred to as Clade I. However, a newer variant, Clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through regular close contact, particularly affecting children.
Last week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) expressed concern over the rapid spread of mpox.
This year, over 15,000 cases and 461 deaths have been reported across the continent, marking a 160% addition compared to the same period last year.
Mpox has been endemic in various regions of Africa for decades, having first been recognized in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.
In 2022, a less severe strain of the virus spread to more than a hundred countries, primarily through sexual contact, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue a public health emergency of international concern.
The WHO lifted the emergency status 10 months later, noting that the situation had been brought under control.
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