The spread of the mpox virus in sub-Saharan Africa is showing a slight decline; however, the number of cases continues to rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which remains the epicenter of the outbreak, according to a report released on Thursday by the African Union’s health agency (UA).
In the past four weeks, over 11,450 cases have been reported across 15 African countries, down from 12,802 cases in the previous four-week period, as noted by the Africa CDC during an online press briefing.
“While we can discuss a slowdown (…), we are still in the acute phase of the epidemic,” stated Jean Kaseya, the director general of Africa CDC. “We continue to lose lives.”
Since January, there have been a total of 50,840 reported cases and 1,083 deaths associated with the virus. Central Africa accounts for 85.8% of these cases and nearly all (99.4%) of the recorded fatalities.
The DRC has reported over 39,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths since the beginning of the year. Last month, the country initiated a “limited” vaccination campaign, according to Africa CDC, vaccinating approximately 51,000 individuals out of a population exceeding 100 million.
Moreover, the only vaccine currently being utilized, developed by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, is intended exclusively for adults. However, nearly 40% of infections in the DRC involve children under the age of 15.
