Mpox is spread through close contact and leads to flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Although most cases are mild, the infection can sometimes be deadly.
Clade Ib, the new variant primarily circulating in Congo, appears to spread more easily, especially through routine close contact, as seen among children.
On Thursday, Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Director General Jean Kaseya reported that mpox cases in Africa had increased by 79% from 2022 to 2023 and by 160% from 2023 to 2024.
“This is one of the aspects that is alarming us,” he stated.
Kaseya also mentioned upcoming calls with the heads of the African Union (AU) and the African Union Commission on Tuesday to seek their approval and guidance for declaring a public health emergency, a new authority for the continental body. He predicts to make the declaration next week.
He explained that declaring a public health emergency would allow the Africa CDC to better coordinate cross-border responses and require member countries to report new cases to the continental body.
Kaseya also said that declaring a public health emergency would also facilitate the mobilisation of domestic and international resources and speed up vaccine research and development.
He mentioned ongoing discussions with executives from the German drugmaker BioNTech about increasing vaccine production following the anticipated declaration next week.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an unprecedented surge in mpox cases in Africa this year.
Congo has recorded over 13,000 suspected cases and 503 deaths so far, bringing the total number of cases since early 2023 to around 27,000, with over 1,000 deaths.
Additionally, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, previously unaffected by mpox, have reported cases of the new variant since mid-July, according to a WHO statement.
The U.N. agency stated that further analysis is needed to understand transmission patterns and improve the response to the outbreak.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a second health alert to inform clinicians and health departments about the new deadly strain.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pledged to convene an emergency committee to determine if the Congo outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Africa CDC announced on Monday that it had been awarded $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union for its mpox response.