Africa’s mpox deaths surpass 1,000 as health officials urge international support

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — The number of mpox -related deaths in Africa has surpassed 1,000, the head of the continent’s top public health agency said Thursday, warning of the continuing threat of cross-border contamination and a lack of rapid test kits.

There were 50 mpox-related deaths in the past week, bringing the total to 1,100, indicating that authorities face a challenge in stemming outbreaks currently affecting 18 of the continent’s 55 nations, said Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are still fighting with this outbreak,” Kaseya said. “We don’t want to see all African countries affected.”

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms, including fever, chills and body aches. People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

Kaseya said the trend shows mpox in Africa “is going out of control if we don’t act,” and urged international partners to honor their pledges to support Africa’s response.

“This is my clear message to our partners. We acknowledge their pledge, but we need quickly to translate pledge into concrete money to support the response,” he said.

The estimated budget for a six-month plan put forward by Africa CDC and the World Health Organization is almost $600 million, with 55% allocated to the response to mpox in 14 affected nations and boosting readiness in 15 others.

Zambia and Zimbabwe became the latest African countries to confirm mpox cases in the past week, Kenya recorded its first death from mpox, and a case was confirmed in a prison in central Uganda, according to Africa CDC. The case in Zambia was detected in a truck driver.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa before a 2022 global outbreak in which wealthy countries quickly responded with vaccines from their stockpiles, while Africa received fewer doses despite pleas from its governments.

WHO declared Africa’s outbreaks a global health emergency in August, with Congo as the epicenter. The total number of suspected cases in Africa since the beginning of the year now stands at 42,438, with 8,113 confirmed as mpox, according to Africa CDC.

Mpox vaccinations have begun in Rwanda and Congo.