WHO Reports 14,700 Confirmed Mpox Cases in Africa for 2024
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Kampala, Jan 12 (NationPress) Approximately 14,700 confirmed mpox cases, which include 66 fatalities, have been documented in 20 African nations from January 2024 to January 5, 2025, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The confirmed cases represent merely a fraction of the suspected cases, as highlighted by the WHO on Saturday. The organization had previously noted that a considerable number of suspected mpox incidents remain untested and, as a result, "never get confirmed" in nations like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to inadequate diagnostic capabilities, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
The current outbreak is fueled by various clades of the virus, particularly the Clade Ib variant, which is primarily circulating in the DRC and its neighboring countries, as stated in the latest report from the WHO.
Travel-related cases imported from this Clade Ib variant and secondary transmissions have also been observed outside of Africa. The WHO indicated that these imported cases predominantly involved adults who traveled during their incubation periods or exhibited early symptoms, with diagnoses being confirmed upon their arrival in other nations.
This new variant, first identified in South Kivu, an eastern province of the DRC, is believed to have emerged around mid-September 2023, according to an earlier WHO report.
These travel-related mpox incidents underscore the difficulties posed by differing surveillance capabilities and reporting practices among various countries. The WHO cautioned that limited resources and restricted access to diagnostic testing may lead to underreporting or delays in detection. It urged member states to enhance and fortify mpox surveillance to better detect and report cases.
In mid-August 2024, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa as a public health emergency of continental security. Shortly thereafter, the WHO also designated mpox as a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest level of global alert for this disease for the second time within two years.
Mpox, also referred to as monkeypox, was initially recognized in laboratory monkeys in 1958. It is a rare viral illness that generally spreads through body fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials. The infection typically leads to fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
