Africa CDC Declares Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security
Mpox has so far affected 13 countries, with East African nations like Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reporting the highest number of cases.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia— The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has officially declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security in Africa, writes Mrtin Kamlaike.
The declaration was made by Africa CDC Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya, during a press conference held via Zoom.
The decision, which was reached after consultations with various stakeholders, including the Emergency Consultative Group (ECG), aims to address the Mpox outbreak with urgency to avoid the negative impact that was experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I can say, since we started to work on this Mpox, I can feel solidarity coming from our partners, and I will just encourage them to continue like that," Dr. Kaseya remarked during the conference.
Dr. Kaseya emphasized that Africa CDC will continue to collaborate closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat the outbreak in real time.
He also pledged to provide regular updates to member states on the number of cases, deaths, and the regions affected across the continent.
"We commit also to have in the next two weeks, an African Joint Action Plan. It means a response plan that will combine the efforts from all countries," Kaseya announced.
This plan will be shared with the Emergency Consultative Group, led by Professor Salim, the governing board of Africa CDC, the Permanent Consultative of African Union, and all ambassadors to the AU.
The declaration calls for a proactive and aggressive response from all member states, emphasizing that Africa can no longer afford to be reactive. Kaseya stressed that the global response must protect public health while minimizing disruptions to travel and trade.
"Movement of people and goods will continue as it was in the past while we are giving ourselves the tools to fight this outbreak," he stated.
In response to concerns about under-reporting of cases in some affected areas, Dr. Kaseya noted that the lack of diagnostic equipment in certain countries has contributed to the rise in reported cases.
He assured that Africa CDC will work to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, treatments, and protective measures.
Africa CDC currently has around 200,000 vaccine doses in stock and is optimistic about increasing that number to 3 million doses by the end of 2024.
However, this remains short of the 10 million doses required.
Mpox has so far affected 13 countries, with East African nations like Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reporting the highest number of cases.