CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Congo reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its “growing” threat on the continent.
While mpox has been reported in 12 of Africa’s 54 countries during these outbreaks, the vast central African nation of Congo has recorded by far the most cases this year.
The figures are likely an underestimate, as only about one in five suspected cases in Congo are being tested for mpox.
Africa CDC director-general Dr. Jean Kaseya said many affected African countries had limited testing and surveillance capabilities.
Over the last seven days, Congo recorded 1,030 of the 1,405 new cases in Africa according to statistics provided late Tuesday by the Africa CDC.
The United States’ aid agency said it had donated 50,000 other doses of the same vaccine to Congo.
In a statement, he urged the international community to guarantee “equitable access” to mpox diagnostics and vaccines this time.
Then, Africa received doses much later than richer countries and had to pay more in some cases.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Congo reported more than 1,000 new cases of mpox in the week leading up to Tuesday, and African health officials requested much-needed vaccines to combat the disease’s “growing” threat throughout the continent. The epidemics in Africa have been deemed a worldwide emergency by the World Health Organization.
Though it causes less severe symptoms like fever, chills, and body aches, mpox is related to smallpox and is primarily transmitted by close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual activity. Lesions on the face, hands, chest, and genitalia can occur in individuals with more severe cases.
The large country of Congo in central Africa has by far the highest number of cases this year, even though mpox has been reported in 12 of Africa’s 54 countries during these outbreaks. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that of the 18,910 cases reported in 2024, 17,794 (94 percent) occurred in the Congo, accounting for 535 of the 541 recorded deaths.
The statistics are probably underestimated because only about 5 percent of suspected cases in the Congo are being tested for mpox. Director-general of the Africa CDC Dr. Jean Kaseya stated that many of the impacted African nations lacked adequate testing and surveillance resources.
The Africa CDC released statistics late on Tuesday showing that 1,030 of the 1,405 new cases reported in Africa over the past seven days have been reported from Congo. The infections fit the agency’s definition of the disease, but only 16% of the cases have had virus tests confirm them.
The WHO declared a global health emergency last week due to the increasing number of mpox cases in Africa and the discovery of a new, potentially more easily transmissible form of the virus in the Congo. As Sweden reported a case of the new mpox variant first seen in eastern Congo, some hope this will encourage donors to share vaccines and other help to curb the outbreaks in Africa before cases spread internationally.
The WHO has stated that not even a single dollar was raised for mpox in its previous attempts to solicit donations.
According to Africa CDC’s Kaseya, the European Union and vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic had promised to donate 215,000 mpox vaccines to his organization; these vaccines were scheduled to arrive in the coming days. A U.S. aid organization reported that it had given Congo fifty thousand more doses of this vaccine. Additionally, Japan has given some doses to the Congo.
But Africa probably requires a lot more. The health minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated that 3 million vaccination doses were required in his nation alone to put an end to the outbreaks, which have spread to at least four neighboring African nations.
In just a few months, a 2022 mpox outbreak that had spread to over 70 countries was contained. While wealthy countries had access to vaccines and treatments, very few doses made it to Africa. It was years before it caused international concern, having been spreading through Nigeria and other countries largely unnoticed. Since then, despite minimal successful containment measures, the virus has persisted in gradually making people sick in the Congo.
In response to the 2022 outbreak, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa blasted the international response, claiming it was unjust because wealthy Western countries were able to access treatments and vaccines while Africa received minimal assistance. He asked for “equitable access” to mpox diagnostics and vaccines this time around in a statement to the international community.
Ramaphosa’s remarks brought back memories of the outrage that Africa felt during the COVID-19 pandemic at being mainly cut off from vaccines. Africa then had to pay more in certain cases and received doses much later than wealthier nations.
A move that could put more pressure on people to obtain mpox shots was suggested last week by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: visitors visiting areas affected by the virus should check to see if they might be eligible for vaccination.
As countries awaited doses, according to Kaseya, mpox was “growing and spreading.”. He said it was noticeable that cases in neighboring Burundi had more than doubled to 572 in a week, even though Congo was undoubtedly the country causing the most concern.
In addition, Kaseya called for “solidarity” from the international community in the fight against mpox and specifically opposed isolating African nations with travel restrictions akin to those imposed on COVID, since the disease is not as easily spread.
His words were, “Don’t punish Africa.”. “You must offer the necessary assistance. This vaccination costs a lot of money.
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