The continent has seen an “unprecedented” spike in mpox cases since January, with 15 countries reporting outbreaks. As of Thursday, 2,030 cases and 13 deaths had been recorded. confirmed this yearcompared with 1,145 cases and seven deaths in all of 2023.
Mpox is a viral disease. caused by monkeypox virus (often abbreviated as MPXV), a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.
Common symptoms include a skin rash or mucosal lesions that can last two to four weeks, along with fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
The disease can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with an infected person, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.
Treatment is supportive and aimed at relieving symptoms. Various therapies that may be effective against mpox are being developed and tested.
Priority transmission interrupt
According to WHOThe Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for the highest number (90 percent) of reported cases, including a new variant that emerged last September. Cases from that variant have also been reported in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, as well as Kenya, while analysis of cases is underway in Burundi.
Matshidiso Moeti, the agency’s Regional Director for Africa, highlighted that “The priority is to quickly stop the spread of the virus.”.
“We are working with partners to support countries to strengthen disease control measures and ensure that communities play a central role in ongoing efforts to effectively end these outbreaks,” said Dr Moeti.
Action on the ground
WHO is working through country teams and experts deployed in the field to support national authorities to strengthen key response areas, including disease surveillance, diagnostic testing and clinical care, and infection prevention and control.
The organization is also working with health authorities to access treatment, decentralize testing services to improve diagnostic capacity, and step up efforts to raise awareness of disease risks in the community.
Active case-finding and field investigations are also being intensified in affected and at-risk countries, and the UN health agency is working closely to enhance contact tracing and mobilize financial support to help countries respond.
International Risk Assessment
Furthermore, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday call for an emergency expert committee meeting to determine whether the outbreak in Africa constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
“The committee will meet as soon as possible and will include independent experts from a wide range of relevant fields around the world,” he said in Geneva.
