A new variant has emerged in Africa. The M pox virus, formerly known as monkeypox, continues to spread in Africa. Also known as Mpox, it is transmitted through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Most cases are mild but can be fatal.
IT SPREADS EASILY THROUGH CLOSE CONTACT!
The new variant, known as Clade Ib and circulating mostly in Congo, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, such as among children.
Reported cases in Africa increased by 79% between 2022-2023 and 160% between 2023-24, Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said on Thursday.
Kaseya added that he would hold talks with the heads of the African Union (AU) and the African Union Commission on Tuesday to “seek their approval” and provide guidance on declaring a public health emergency, a new power for the continental body.
Kaseya said this would also enable the mobilization of domestic and international resources and the acceleration of vaccine research and development, adding that he was in talks with executives of German drugmaker BioNTech about increasing vaccine production following a possible announcement next week.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: THERE IS AN INCREASE IN CASES THIS YEAR
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Africa has experienced an unprecedented surge in cases this year.
Congo has seen more than 13,000 suspected mpox cases, including 503 deaths, so far this year, a WHO spokesman in Congo told Reuters, taking the total number of cases there since the beginning of 2023 to nearly 27,000, with more than 1,000 deaths.
According to the WHO statement, cases of the new variant have been reported since mid-July in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya in eastern Congo, which were previously unaffected by mpox.
“Further analysis is needed to better understand transmission patterns in order to improve the response to the outbreak,” the UN agency said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a second health alert on Wednesday to inform clinicians and health departments about the deadly new strain. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has vowed to convene an emergency committee to discuss whether the outbreak in Congo represents a public health emergency of international concern.
On Monday, the Africa CDC said it had secured $10.4 million in emergency funding from the African Union for the mpox response.
Source: Reuters