Mpox Outbreak: Africa Disease Control Declares Emergency

The  Africa Centre for Disease Control(Africa CDC)on Tuesday 13 August 2024, declared a public health emergency over the growing Mpox outbreak on the continent. The viral disease has spread through several African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo. Head of The Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, while speaking at an online press briefing said that according to data obtained by the center as of 4th August 2024, there have been 38,465 cases of Mpox and 1,456 deaths in Africa since January 2022.

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Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus and human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infected skin or body fluids, including sexual contact. An outbreak of Clade I mpox was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023 and as of August 2024 has spread to a number of African countries, sparking concerns that it may have adapted to more sustained human transmission.