The African Union’s health watchdog on Thursday warned that mpox outbreak was still not under control and appealed for resources to avoid a “more severe” pandemic than Covid-19.
Speaking during an online briefing on Thursday, Africa CDC chief of staff and head of the executive office, Ngashi Ngongo, appealed for resources to avoid a “more severe” pandemic than COVID-19.
More than 1,100 people have died of mpox in Africa, where some 48,000 cases have been recorded since January, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Cases were still increasing in several countries as the continent struggled to contain another major outbreak coming at the heels of Covid-19 that exposed Africa’s weak health system.
So far, 19 countries in Africa have reported cases of mpox after an infection was detected in Mauritius, a magnet for tourists attracted to its stunning white beaches and crystal-clear waters.
The situation was particularly worrying in Uganda which reported its first death from the virus this week.
Yet the funds to contain the outbreak were in short supply, Africa CDC warned.
“What we need is the continuous political and financial mobilisation,” Ngongo said, adding that it was necessary measure to stop mpox from being another pandemic “which would be much more severe than Covid-19”.
The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday that it had detected the country’s first case with the latest mpox variant, clade 1b.
The majority of deaths have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak, which launched a vaccination drive earlier this month.
