Africa CDC declares mpox a public health emergency
Al JazeeraAUG 14 2024
Amid the rapid spread of a concerning strain of the mpox, or monkeypox, virus across Central Africa, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday declared its first-ever public-health emergency.Amid the rapid spread of a strain of the mpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox, across Central Africa, the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency on Wednesday — the second time in two years.
The spread of the highly contagious disease from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, and Rwanda has also prompted a call from the WHO for immediate action.This comes as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared its first-ever public health emergency as the highly contagious disease from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has spread to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Since the beginning of the year, the DRC has reported 13.7K cases and 450 fatalities. Declaring a public health emergency will reportedly help government agencies coordinate and possibly increase medical aid to affected areas.Since the beginning of the year, there have reportedly been over 17K cases across Africa, with over 13.7K of these reported in the DRC, which has seen 450 fatalities. Declaring a public health emergency will reportedly help government agencies coordinate and possibly increase medical aid to affected areas.
The latest strain of the mpox virus has quickly spread across at least 13 Central African nations. This outbreak demands urgent attentionglobal fromaction the world to avoid a worsening crisis. By declaring the mpox outbreak a public health emergency, the African health authority hopes to mobilize the resources needed to effectively address and prevent the virus from spreading further. Urgentcan globalbe action is required to help Africa procure 10M doses of the mpox vaccinemobilized.
While a new strain of mpox is spreading in Africa, the American public is less aware and fearful of it than in 2022. However,The the majority of US adults know that individuals exposed to mpox can receive a vaccination for people with risk factors and to help prevent its spread. SoThis far,is onlyno Africa'scause centralfor and eastern regions have reported cases of the deadlier mpox strain, but the WHO must issue a global mpox advisory to inform the public of its likely returnalarm.