Mpox: More than 18,700 suspected or confirmed cases in Africa since the start of 2024
NAIROBI – A total of 18,737 mpox cases, including 3,101 confirmed, 15,636 suspects, and 541 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of this year across 12 African countries, Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epidemic’s epicentre, has recorded 16,800 suspected or confirmed cases, according to the same source. More than 500 deaths have been recorded since the start of 2024.
Burundi, bordering the DRC, has recorded 173 cases (39 confirmed, 134 suspects), rising to 75% in one week.
Africa faces the spread of a new virus strain, “Clade Ib,” detected in the DRC since September 2023, which proved to be more lethal and transmissible than the previous ones.
The first cases of mpox have also been recorded outside Africa this week, namely, Sweden and Pakistan.
The mpox surge has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare on Wednesday “an international public health emergency,” in addition to Africa CDC’s “health emergency.” Both are considered the highest alert level.
