Africa CDC Declares Mpox Public Health Emergency

The Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) on Tuesday declared Mpox a public health emergency of continental security.

The Centre had earlier warned of the alarming rate of Mpox infection which has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.

Director-General of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, during a virtual briefing said, “We declare today this public health emergency of continental security to mobilise our institutions, our collective will, and our resources to act swiftly and decisively.”

Kaseya however regretted that while the continent requires over 10 million doses of vaccines, only about 200,000 are available, but assured that Africa CDC would work to quickly increase the supply to the continent.

“We have a clear plan to secure more than 10 million doses in Africa, starting with 3 million doses in 2024,” he said.

The Centre added that more than 15,000 cases of Mpox and 461 deaths were reported across 18 countries in Africa this year so far, representing 160% increase from the same period in 2023.