Africa CDC warns mpox not under control, calls for resources | Health News

The African Union health watchdog chief said the mpox epidemic was ‘generally still on an upward trend’ as cases spread.

The African Union’s health watchdog has warned that the mpox epidemic is still not under control and called for resources to prevent an outbreak “more severe” than COVID-19.

“The situation is not yet under control, overall we are still on an upward trend,” Ngashi Ngongo of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said at a briefing on Thursday.

More than 1,100 people have died from mpox in Africa, where nearly 48,000 cases have been recorded since January, according to the CDC.

Cases were still rising in many countries as the continent struggled to contain another major outbreak, coming on the heels of COVID-19, which exposed weaknesses in Africa’s healthcare system.

So far, 19 countries in Africa have reported cases of mpox, after an infection was detected in Mauritius, which attracts tourists with its stunning white beaches and clear waters.

The Africa CDC has warned that there are insufficient funds to control the epidemic.

“What we need is sustained political and financial mobilization,” Ngongo said, adding that this was a necessary measure to prevent mpox from turning into another pandemic “that will be much more severe than COVID-19.”

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans from infected animals, but can also be passed from person to person through close physical contact.

The viral disease associated with smallpox causes fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that develops into blisters, and has two main subtypes: class 1 and class 2.

The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday that it had detected the first case in the country of class 1b, the latest variant of mpox. It was also detected in Sweden and Germany.

Central Africa is most affected by the epidemic, accounting for 85.7 percent of cases and 99.5 percent of deaths on the continent.

The majority of deaths have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, which launched a vaccination campaign earlier this month.