Mpox still continental health emergency: Africa CDC

KIGALI, Rwanda

Mpox, which has swept through African countries and killed hundreds of people, still constitutes a continental health emergency, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday, after a consultative group found new surges in many countries on the continent.

In a statement, the Africa CDC said the Emergency Consultative Group, which advises the director general of Africa CDC on mpox, urged that the Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) remain in place to preserve political will, mobilize resources and keep countries on high alert.

The group’s review of the mpox situation indicated that there were surges in countries such as Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania, even when weekly confirmed cases declined by 52%.

Fresh introductions of the virus were also reported in Malawi, Ethiopia, Senegal, Togo, Gambia and Mozambique.

“Meeting on Sept. 2 to review the outbreak and assess whether the emergency status should be lifted, the group concluded that maintaining the declaration is essential. Members warned that lifting the status prematurely could trigger complacency, reduce funding and increase the risk of resurgence,” the statement said.

The group also called for a more rigorous investigation of mpox-related deaths, particularly among children, and for expanding vaccine access to children under 12 in high-risk countries.

It further advised maintaining strong continental coordination and integrating the mpox response with other ongoing health emergencies such as cholera.

Data released Thursday by Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager for mpox at the Africa CDC, showed that 185,994 mpox cases have been reported since the start of last year in 29 African countries.

Some 51,969 cases were confirmed and 1,987 related deaths were recorded.

The public health emergency was first declared on Aug.13, 2024.

While acknowledging progress in surveillance, laboratory capacity and vaccination, the group stressed that the “current downward trends are not yet stable enough to justify lifting the emergency.”