Africa mpox outbreak sparks health emergency warning

The rising cases of mpox in Africa is sparking fears it could cause a significant global outbreak with the continent’s top health body likely to declare a public health emergency.

The head of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr Jean Kaseya, said on Thursday that the continued spread of mpox across borders requires “active engagement” with African Union member states to prevent the outbreak from becoming “another pandemic”.

“We are committed to mobilizing resources and providing technical assistance to affected countries to control the outbreak,” said Dr Kaseya.

So far, 16 countries have reported cases, with the Democratic Republic of Congo accounting for over 90 per cent of them.

A total of 887 new confirmed and suspected cases of mpox have been reported in Africa this past week, pushing the year’s total to 15,132, according to data presented at the briefing, reported by The Guardian. At least 461 people have died from mpox.

The cases have increased by 160 per cent compared with the same time period last year.

Meanwhile, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) was also considering forming an expert committee to determine whether the mpox outbreak in Africa should be declared an international emergency.

“The Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations will meet soon to advise me on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief, wrote on Twitter on Thursday night.

Until December 2023, the WHO only reported 2,803 cases and 22 deaths from mpox.

What is mpox?

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a disease caused by the Monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family as the smallpox virus.

Those infected with mpox typically develop a rash that progresses through several stages, including scabbing, before eventually healing, according to the American CDC website. Other symptoms may accompany the rash.

The virus spreads through direct contact from person to person and animals to people. It is also spreading through sexual networks with sex workers originally making up a high percentage of the case load.

Originally identified in 1970 in what is now DRC, a new, more virulent strain was reported in the country in May.

The new strain of the mpox virus is spreading quickly in the African continent, with experts calling the “most dangerous strain yet.”

“Mpox outbreaks are caused by different strains of viruses called clades,” the WHO chief wrote.

“The current outbreak in the Eastern DRC is caused by a new offshoot of clade 1, called clade 1b, which causes more severe disease than clade 2.”

The virus can cause lesions across the whole body and can potentially prove fatal.

Can mpox lead to a global pandemic?

The virus has spread from DRC to other countries in Africa like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, all of them reporting infections for the first time ever.

Dr Kaseya says the situation is “alarming” and if the African CDC announces a public health emergency, it will be the first time it makes such a declaration. However, the process entails consultation between the 55-member African Union, and affected member states.

There are also concerns about the disease spreading internationally across borders.

“The disease can go through airports. “A person with injuries can go through borders because there are no controls,” Leandre Murhula Masirika, at the health department in South Kivu province – one of the worst affected areas in DR Congo, told BBC in June.

Despite efforts to control the disease through vaccination, Africa faces a significant challenge due to a severe shortage of vaccines, with only 200,000 doses available compared to the 10 million needed.

Last week, the African Union approved an emergency fund of $10.4m (£8.2m) to support the Africa CDC’s efforts in combating the mpox outbreak.