Congo recorded more than 1,000 new mpox infections last week, highlighting the growing threat of the disease in Africa, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), AP reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared the ongoing outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.
Mpox, belonging to the same virus family as smallpox, causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches.
Spread through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse, severe cases can result in lesions on the face, hands, chest, and genitals.
Congo, a vast central African nation, has been the hardest hit, recording 17,794 of the 18,910 mpox cases reported across Africa in 2024.
The Africa CDC reported that 94% of the continent’s cases were in Congo, along with 535 of the 541 mpox-related deaths.
Testing and surveillance capabilities remain limited in many affected African countries, including Congo, where only one in five suspected cases are being tested.
Despite the widespread impact, however, only 12 of Africa’s 54 countries have reported mpox cases during this outbreak.
Nevertheless, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya highlighted the urgent need for vaccines. The lack of testing and vaccines exacerbates the situation, with many cases likely going unreported.
The Africa CDC is urgently requesting vaccines to help control the escalating mpox crisis in Congo and other affected regions.
The WHO’s global emergency declaration has already underscored the severity of the situation.
While the latest outbreak has drawn global attention, the urgent focus is on securing vaccines and improving testing to curb the spread of mpox in Africa.