Africa CDC reports 2,836 new Mpox cases

The Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has reported a rise in Mpox cases, with 2,836 suspected new cases from countries across the continent.

This public health organisation also reported 461 new confirmed infections and 34 deaths with a cases fatality rate of 7.4 per cent.

In its latest report on infectious diseases, the Africa CDC said children and men are the groups most affected by the disease.

According to the report, children aged 15 and below makeup 36.3 per cent, and men make up 49. 3 per cent of all reported cases.

According to the Africa CDC, the continent has reported 53,903 cases in the last 10 months.

The organisation also said 11,147 of the 53,903 cases were confirmed and 1,109 deaths recorded.

The case fatality rate for Mpox in 2024 is 9.9 per cent.

Also, an average of 523 confirmed cases are reported weekly, and the disease currently affects 19 African countries.

Cases likely to rise

Speaking on the numbers, Africa CDC, in its report, said the Mpox epidemic is still uncontrolled and is projected to worsen through the year.

In its latest report on the infectious disease, the Africa CDC said the current data indicates that cases will likely rise again before stabilising and beginning a gradual decline early next year.

“There is no ground to say the Mpox epidemic is under control. From the data, it is expected to increase again before stabilising and initiating a downward trend toward the beginning of next year,” the report reads in part.

Africa CDC emphasised the importance of accurate testing for Mpox to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of cases in countries affected by the disease.

The agency said testing should focus on people who show symptoms of Mpox or those exposed to the virus to ensure resources are used effectively.

It also pointed out that PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), a tool for conducting pox tests, is known for its high sensitivity, which is critical for correctly identifying cases of pox.

The public health organisation said: “Prioritise testing individuals based on clinical symptoms and exposure risk. Accurate diagnosis relies on highly sensitive PCR tests. Testing protocols should include clear case definition, sample collection methods, and dedicated testing facilities.”

Mpox vaccine

However, the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for Mpox is expected to receive 5.85 million vaccine doses for African countries by the end of the year.

The AAM has allocated 899,000 vaccine doses to nine African countries with high infection rates, including Nigeria.

The allocation of vaccines was approved following the recommendations of an independent Technical Review Committee of the Continental Incident Management Support Team for Mpox..

The Africa CDC said the selection was based on country readiness and epidemiological data.

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Last Tuesday, experts from the two public health bodies met with representatives from 17 countries in Brazzaville to create Mpox vaccine preparedness and deployment plans.

Africa CDC said: “Given the ongoing difficulties with bringing the outbreak under control using traditional public health measures, the need for effective Mpox vaccine preparedness and deployment plans has become urgent.”