Mpox Has Killed 866 People In Africa Since The Beginning Of The Year

A total of 866 people have died from mpox in Africa since the beginning of the year, according to the latest report from the African health agency CDC, which states that "the epidemic is not under control" on the continent.

Since January, around 34,297 cases have been recorded across the five African regions, including 38 in Ghana, where the disease had not been detected until now, according to the African Union's health agency.

This number brings to 16 the number of African countries where mpox has been officially detected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa).

In the previous report, dated September 12, Africa had recorded, since the beginning of the year, 26,543 cases of mpox (5,731 confirmed) and 724 deaths from the disease.

According to figures shared then by the director general of CDC Africa, Jean Kaseya, deaths and infections reported since last January represented 43% and 56%, respectively, of those recorded in total from January 2022 to that date.

"The epidemic is not under control," said Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, at a press conference today.

In recent weeks, around 2,500 new cases have been recorded per week, he added, regretting that the rate of testing to confirm the presence of the disease remains "very low".

Mpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans, but is also transmitted between humans, causing fever, muscle pain and skin lesions.

The resurgence of mpox on the continent and the emergence of a new variant (clade 1b) led the World Health Organization to trigger its highest global alert level in mid-August.

Clade 1b has been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, according to CDC Africa.