The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that a surge in monkeypox cases, which had so far been mostly reported in Africa, now constitutes a global threat. Monkeypox can spread through close contact. The disease is usually mild, but in some cases it has been fatal.
So far, the monkeypox virus (Mpox, from Monkeypox) It has been mainly active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where, according to WHO data, it has infected more than 14,000 people since the beginning of the year and has been responsible for more than 500 deaths.
This disease has been present in the DRC for a long time – it was detected there in 1970. However, in recent years there has been a gradual increase in the number of cases.
Over the past month, new cases of monkeypox have also been reported in countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Already reported on the African continent this year more than 17 thousand suspected cases of mpox and 517 deaths. This is a 160% increase in the number of cases compared to the same period last year.
The current outbreak is caused by a virus called clade 1b, which is highly contagious through close contact, especially among children.
A week ago, the Africa CDC (Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention – the health agency of the African Union – editor’s note) described monkeypox as a “public health threat” for the entire continent. It warned that the rate at which the disease was spreading was alarming.
Africa CDC also appealed “global solidarity” for monkeypox vaccines. Africa currently has access to just 200,000 vaccine doses when it needs 10 million.
A meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Committee on monkeypox was held on Wednesday. Experts said the current situation requires the highest level of health alert at an international level for the disease.
