The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) has expressed concerns regarding the difficulties in monitoring mpox, with the number of cases exceeding 45,000 since the beginning of the year.
During an online press conference on Thursday, Director General Jean Kaseya reported that 18 African countries have recorded a total of 45,327 cases of the former monkeypox virus this year, including 9,114 confirmed cases, while the death toll has surpassed 1,000.
He noted that over the past week, the African continent documented 2,729 new mpox cases, of which 1,001 were confirmed, along with 36 new deaths; the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi accounted for 96% of all newly confirmed cases.
Data from CDC Africa indicates that Central Africa has reported 85.5% of all cases and 99.5% of deaths. Furthermore, the number of reported cases since the start of the year has surged by 400% compared to the total for 2023.
Acknowledging the positive reception of the mpox vaccination in the DRC and Rwanda, Kaseya stated that all high-risk countries have finalized their plans and are preparing to vaccinate their populations.
Additionally, the CDC Africa official mentioned that five African countries—Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Rwanda, and South Africa—have not reported any confirmed cases in the past four weeks, and no new deaths have been reported outside Central Africa since last week.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a rare viral disease that typically spreads through bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, and other contaminated materials, leading to symptoms such as fever, skin rashes, and swollen lymph nodes.
