The African Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has reported an increase in Mpox cases, with 2,836 new suspected cases in countries across the continent.
This public health organization also reported 461 new confirmed infections and 34 deaths with a fatality rate of 7.4 percent.
In its latest report on infectious diseases, the Africa CDC said that boys and men are the groups most affected by the disease.
According to the report, boys 15 years old and younger account for 36.3 percent, and men 49.3 percent, of all reported cases.
According to the Africa CDC, the continent has reported 53,903 cases in the last 10 months.
The organization also said that 11,147 of the 53,903 cases were confirmed and 1,109 deaths were recorded.
The case fatality rate of Mpox in 2024 is 9.9 percent.
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Furthermore, an average of 523 confirmed cases are reported weekly and the disease currently affects 19 African countries.
Cases likely to increase
Talking about the numbers, Africa CDC, in its report, said that the Mpox epidemic is still not under control and is expected to worsen throughout the year.
In its latest report on the infectious disease, the Africa CDC said current data indicates cases will likely rise again before stabilizing and beginning a gradual decline early next year.
“There is no reason to say that the Mpox epidemic is under control. According to the data, it is expected to increase again before stabilizing and beginning a downward trend towards the beginning of next year,” the report reads in part.
The Africa CDC emphasized the importance of accurate Mpox testing to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of cases in countries affected by the disease.
The agency said testing should focus on people showing symptoms of Mpox or those exposed to the virus to ensure resources are used effectively.
He also noted that PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), a tool for testing for smallpox, is characterized by its high sensitivity, essential to correctly identify smallpox cases.
The public health organization said: “Prioritize testing of individuals based on clinical symptoms and risk of exposure. 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 Mpox Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) is expected to receive 5.85 million vaccine doses for African countries before the end of the year.
The AAM has allocated 899,000 vaccine doses to nine African countries with high infection rates, including Nigeria.
The vaccine allocation 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 the country's preparedness 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 preparation and deployment plans for the Mpox vaccine.
The Africa CDC said: “Given the current difficulties in controlling the outbreak using traditional public health measures, the need for effective preparation and deployment plans for the Mpox vaccine has become urgent.”