The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Monday evening called on countries across the continent to remain vigilant once morest the spread of monkeypox.
He estimated in a statement that the technical and financial resources required to respond effectively were not yet mobilized in an optimal way.
According to the specialized agency of the African Union, 1,715 cases and 73 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the year in eight endemic and two non-endemic countries in the AU. The fatality rate now stands at 4.3%.
Since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic in February 2020 to date, the continent has recorded 12,141 cases of monkeypox, with a case fatality rate of 3%, according to the Africa CDC.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated last Saturday that the circulation of this viral zoonosis in around fifty countries did not constitute a public health emergency of international concern (USPPI), the highest level of alert of its nomenclature.
The Africa CDC nonetheless recommended AU members, as well as partners and friends of Africa to support the monkeypox emergency response efforts on the continent, calling for more tools (vaccines, therapeutics, screening) to ensure that the virus does not spread further.
