More than 800 mpox deaths recorded across Africa
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A woman pricking her sister’s rashes to relieve pain from an mpox infection, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NAIROBI - More than 800 people across Africa have died of mpox, the African Union’s disease control centre said on Oct 3, warning that the epidemic “was not under control”.
Some 34,297 cases have been recorded across the continent
This brings to 16 the number of African countries where mpox has been officially detected in 2024, according to the health agency.
“The epidemic is not under control,” Dr Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa CDC, told a press briefing, saying the number of deaths since the start of the year was 866.
He also warned that the testing rate remained “too low”, noting that some 2,500 new cases had been detected in the past week.
The Democratic Republic of Congo – the epicentre of the outbreak – would begin vaccinations in two days, Dr Kaseya added. Vaccinations had been due to begin on Oct 2.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly. AFP
