The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has declared a public health emergency in response to the growing mpox outbreak across the continent. Jean Kaseya, a leading figure at the agency, described this decision as a “clear call to action.”
“I declare with a heavy heart, but with an unwavering commitment to our people, that we are declaring mpox a public health emergency of continental security,” Kaseya stated during an online media conference on Tuesday.
The mpox virus has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across Africa. “Families have been torn apart, and pain and suffering have touched every corner of our continent,” he added. As of August 4, the CDC reported 38,465 cases of mpox and 1,456 deaths in Africa since January 2022. Kaseya emphasized that this declaration is not merely a formality, but a plea for proactive action to contain and eliminate the threat.
Mpox is transmitted through close contact and causes rashes, flu-like symptoms, and pus-filled sores. Most cases are mild; however, the disease can be fatal, particularly for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
The outbreak has impacted several African countries, most notably the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the virus was first discovered in humans in 1970. The outbreak initially began with the spread of an endemic variant known as clade 1, but a new variant named clade 1b appears to be spreading more easily through casual close contact.
Recently, the Africa CDC warned that the speed of the viral infection’s spread is alarming. This year alone, over 15,000 mpox cases and 461 deaths have been reported on the continent, representing a 160% increase compared to the same period last year.
A milder version of the virus spread to over 100 countries in 2022, primarily through sexual contact, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert. The WHO lifted this emergency 10 months later, concluding that the health crisis was under control.
On Tuesday, the WHO announced from Geneva that an emergency committee will discuss the spread of the new clade, or variant, on Wednesday, considering whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Previous emergencies have been declared in response to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and an earlier mpox outbreak in 2022, aimed at alerting health authorities to an increase in cases.