Mpox, the high infectious disease that used to be called monkey pox, has been declared a “public health emergency of continental security” by Africa’s top health body over an outbreak that spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.

The African Union’s health watchdog on Tuesday declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent.

The outbreak has swept through several African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“With a heavy heart but with an unyielding commitment to our people, to our African citizens, we declare mpox as public health emergency of continental security,” Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said during an online media briefing.

“Mpox has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across our continent, families have been torn apart and the pain and suffering have touched every corner of our continent,” he said.

The CDC warned last week that the viral infection’s rate of spread was alarming.

It said that over 15,000 mpox cases and 461 deaths were reported on the continent so far this year, representing a 160% increase from the same period last year.

“This declaration is not merely a formality, it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,” Kaseya said.

Mpox is transmitted through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Most cases are mild but it can kill.

The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as Clade I. But the new variant, known as Clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, particularly among children.

Mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades after it was first detected in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.

A milder version of the virus spread to over a hundred countries in 2022, largely through sexual contact, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of alert.

WHO ended the emergency 10 months later, saying the health crisis had come under control.

According to CDC data as of August 4, there had been 38,465 cases of mpox and 1,456 deaths in Africa since January 2022.

Source: AFP