By Adedapo Adesanya
The African Union’s health watchdog, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has declared a public health emergency over the growing Mpox outbreak on the continent.
Mpox is a highly infectious disease that is formerly called Monkeypox.
Scientists from the Africa CDC say they are alarmed by the speed at which a new strand of Mpox has been spreading.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 13,700 cases and 450 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The virus, which can cause lesions across the whole body, has spread to other African countries, including Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR) Kenya and Rwanda.
The Head of Africa CDC, Mr Jean Kaseya, at an online media briefing, said, “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,”
“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.”
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.
“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,” said Mr Kaseya.
The declaration of a public health emergency will help governments in Nigeria and others to coordinate their preventive responses and potentially increase the flow of medical supplies and aid into affected areas.
Mpox spreads from animals to humans and between people through close contact with someone who is infected – including through sex, skin-to-skin contact and talking or breathing close to another person.
Mpox can cause symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and lesions across the body. If left untreated, Mpox can be deadly.
There are two main strains of the virus known to exist. The milder one caused the global outbreak in 2022 that affected Europe, Australia, the US and many other countries – and was mainly spread through sexual contact.
The second more deadly strain, endemic in Central Africa, is behind the recently discovered variant in DR Congo.
Three vaccines exist but only people at risk or who have been in close contact with an infected person are usually able to have it.