February 8, 2025

Mpox Cases Surge in Africa: Urgent Call for Action to Prevent a New Pandemic

With cases up more than 500% from the previous year, mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is seeing a major revival throughout Africa. Health officials are extremely concerned about the outbreak, which has escalated to dangerous proportions, according to statistics from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The development of a new strain of mpox that has spread from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to neighboring countries prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency in mid-August.

Over 48,000 probable cases of mpox have been reported in 19 African countries so far in 2023, with 1,048 fatalities. With a startling 85.7% of recorded cases and 99.5% of fatalities on the continent, Central Africa is the outbreak’s epicenter. This increase in incidence emphasizes how urgently comprehensive public health initiatives and awareness campaigns are needed to stop the virus’s spread.

Sexual contact and other close physical contact are the main ways that mpox is spread. In addition to spreading throughout Africa, the recently discovered strain—known as clade Ib—has also been found in a number of European nations, including Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Health officials are concerned that this virus may spread further and turn into a sexually transmitted pandemic, which might have more serious repercussions than those observed during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Africa CDC representative Ngashi Ngongo underlined the continuous difficulties in managing the outbreak. He pointed out that the pattern of rising instances is still ongoing and that the situation is still out of control. Ngongo demanded increased political involvement and the mobilization of financial resources to carry out successful public health initiatives in order to address this health epidemic. In order to keep the virus from spreading throughout communities and to lessen its negative effects on public health, he emphasized the urgent need for assistance.

of conclusion, the novel clade Ib strain is responsible for the dramatic rise of mpox cases in Africa, which presents a major health risk to the continent and the world at large. In order to contain the outbreak and stop its spread, immediate action is needed to gather resources and put plans into place. Public health officials are anxious to prevent a scenario in which mpox spreads like wildfire, as this would pose serious problems for health systems around the globe.

 

 

 

SOURCE :

THE PRINT

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