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Africa CDC Head Warns of Growing Mpox Outbreak Crisis on Continent

In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared a public health emergency due to the mpox outbreak in Africa. The following day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also called it a "public health emergency of international concern," a label previously used for COVID-19 and Ebola.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported on Thursday a staggering rise in mpox cases, with over 42,000 infections and 1,100 deaths across 18 African countries. Most of the deaths have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the virus continues to spread, with new cases emerging in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, reportedly warned that the epidemic is "going out of control" unless immediate and effective measures are taken.

Kaseya urgently called for international support to stop the outbreak, emphasizing the need for immediate release of funds pledged by global partners. Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a potentially deadly virus that spreads through both animal-to-human and human-to-human transmission, causing fever, muscle aches, and severe skin lesions. The time to act is now to prevent further devastation across the continent.

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