Calls for increased access to diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics in affected countries
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for swift action to increase access to Mpox diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for countries where the viral disease have been reported in African.
This call is sequel to recent reports of outbreak of the disease in South Africa.
Director General of the Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, said, “An Mpox outbreak anywhere is a threat everywhere. We call for swift and urgent action to increase access to Mpox diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for all affected African countries.”
On 13 May 2024, the Government of South Africa announced an outbreak of Mpox following the confirmation of a case from Gauteng province with no travel history to countries with an active Mpox outbreak. As of June 13, Africa CDC reported that a total of 7 laboratory-confirmed cases and two deaths were reported from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces.
The cases, which were confirmed at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South Africa, were classified as severe cases of Mpox and required hospitalization. Preliminary investigations indicate that all the confirmed cases had no history of travel to countries with ongoing Mpox outbreaks.
Africa CDC, in a June 13 statement on its official website disclosed that, since January 2024, seven African countries have reported Mpox, with a total of 8,479 cases and 401 deaths as of June 14, 2024. Notably, 97% of these cases are from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In response, Africa CDC held a high-level emergency meeting on Mpox in the DRC in April 2024, during which the critical need for timely, accurate, and high-quality data on the Mpox to inform decision-making and program interventions was highlighted.
At that meeting, the Ministers of Health from Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Uganda, along with partners, stressed the urgent need to strengthen preparedness and response to Mpox in Africa. They highlighted the necessity for cross-border integrated disease surveillance and a coordinated supply of medical countermeasures like diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics as part of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS).
On June 13, 2024, Director General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, met with South Africa’s Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, and Director General of the National Department of Health, Dr. Sandile Buthelez to assess the situation and coordinate the response to this outbreak.
“At Africa CDC, we commend the leadership and efforts of the South African government in managing this outbreak and appreciate the support from partners like WHO. We are committed to supporting South Africa in securing the necessary doses of Mpox vaccines, and building capacity for event-based surveillance focusing on community and health facility,” Kaseya said.
The Ministry of Health has deployed rapid response teams to support further investigations. Contacts of the confirmed cases are being monitored for 21 days. Additionally, active case search, case management, and risk communication are ongoing in affected communities.
Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease that mainly infects humans and animals including rodents and primates. It can be transmitted through direct contact with lesions, body fluids, or contaminated materials or with infected animals or humans or exposure to their respiratory droplets.
Source: Africa CDC
