Mpox cases are rapidly increasing across the African continent, showing over a 500% rise compared to the previous year, as reported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday. In mid-August, the World Health Organization declared mpox a global health emergency after a new strain began spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo to surrounding countries.
Ngashi Ngongo from Africa CDC stated in a briefing, “The situation is not yet under control; we are still generally experiencing an upward trend.”
According to the public health agency, 19 African nations have reported more than 48,000 suspected mpox cases, with 1,048 fatalities this year. Central Africa, which has been the hardest hit, accounts for 85.7% of the cases and 99.5% of the deaths on the continent. The virus transmits through close physical contact, including sexual activity. The new strain, known as clade Ib, is also appearing in Europe, with detections in Sweden, Germany, and Britain.
Ngongo stressed the importance of ongoing political commitment and financial assistance to effectively manage the outbreak, cautioning, “We do not want this mpox, particularly the clade Ib, to evolve into another sexually transmitted pandemic, which would be much more severe than COVID-19.”
