The African Union’s health agency has reported 107 deaths and 3,160 new cases of mpox in the past week, emphasizing the need for stronger cross-border surveillance to combat the outbreak. Mpox was declared an international emergency in August, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo being the epicenter of the outbreak. The Africa CDC is facing a funding shortfall of $600 million to tackle the disease present in 14 nations on the continent. The director-general has called on Western nations to help meet the funding goal and not abandon Africa, highlighting the need for solidarity and learning from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Criticism has been directed towards Western nations during the COVID-19 pandemic for hoarding vaccines or prioritizing shipments to richer countries, leading to a broken trust between them and Africa. The WHO has declared outbreaks in 12 African nations as a global emergency, with the number of cases rapidly increasing while deaths remained relatively low until recently. Several hundred thousand vaccine doses have been delivered to the DRC by the EU and the US, with additional doses pledged by European nations and Japan. The director-general emphasized the need for increased testing and resources to support it, stating that the continent cannot rely on only confirmed cases for decision-making and response.
Mpox is caused by a virus transmitted by infected animals but can also spread from human to human through close contact. It belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. People with more serious cases may develop lesions on various parts of the body. Testing has shown that men have the highest positivity rate at 63 percent, while children under 15 are at 41 percent. The director-general plans to travel to the DRC to receive the vaccine when the roll-out is expected to begin in the first week of October, in order to demonstrate its safety to the African and Congolese people.
The head of the Africa CDC has called on Western countries to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and not abandon Africa during the ongoing mpox outbreak. The continent is facing a funding shortfall of $600 million to tackle the disease present in 14 nations. Some member states have contributed to the response plan budget, demonstrating ownership by the continent. The director-general also emphasized the need for increased testing and resources to support it, stating that decision-making and response cannot rely solely on confirmed cases.
The WHO has declared mpox outbreaks in 12 African nations as a global emergency, with a rapid increase in cases observed recently. Concerns have been raised over Western nations hoarding vaccines or prioritizing shipments to richer countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a broken trust between them and Africa. The director-general has called for solidarity and support from Western countries to help meet the funding goal and combat the outbreak. The importance of increased testing and resources to support decision-making and response has also been highlighted, with a focus on demonstrating the safety of the vaccine to the African and Congolese people.
