Health Authorities Warn Monkeypox Outbreak In Africa Is Not Under Control

Handling monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Twitter/@WHO)

JAKARTA - Monkeypox outbreaks in Africa are still out of control, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) warned on Thursday, adding cases were still increasing in some countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of the Mpox disease a state of public health emergency of international concern after a new variant was identified.

Countries on the African continent are struggling to respond to another major outbreak that has emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed a weak health system that is not prepared to face a major public health crisis.

The number of mpox cases in Africa has jumped 177 percent, while the death toll has risen 38.5 percent compared to the same period last year, according to CDC Africa data.

"We can say today that thempox is not under control in Africa. We still have a worrying increase in cases for all of us," said CDC Africa Director-General Jean Kaseya at a weekly briefing.

In one week, 2,912 new cases were reported compared to the previous week, including a new country, Morocco, where cases were reported, confirming the spread of the disease in the four continental territories.

CDC Africa said so far 15 of the 55 African Union member states have reported cases of thempox.

"We still have people who died from mpox in Africa. In one week, we lost 14 people," added Kaseya.

He added that in some countries, such as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, two types of the disease circulated. However, because the surveillance and testing system is not strong enough, it is impossible to know if it happened in other countries.

Kaseya also said Rwanda had started a vaccination campaign, while the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, would start vaccinations in early October.