Mpox Cases Rise In Some African Countries As They Awaits Vaccines From International Coummunity

Mpox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild, and most of infected individuals recover within a few weeks without treatment.

Mpox, once referred to as monkeypox, is a virus that causes flu-like symptoms and skin blisters across the body.

Mpox cases and deaths are rising in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the central African country awaits vaccines from the United States and Japan, the health minister said on Monday.

The toll this year has risen in a few days from 16,000 cases and 548 deaths to 16,700 cases and “a little more than 570” deaths, Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said.

“We are talking about a continental emergency,” Kamba told a press briefing as the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on affected countries to step up vaccination programmes to counter a more deadly strain of mpox.

The WHO on Wednesday declared the mpox surge in Africa a global public health emergency. Outbreaks have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July. A case of the new strain has also been detected in Sweden.

The United States has promised 50,000 vaccine doses for DRC, while Japan on Monday agreed Monday to send 3.5 million doses, “only for children,” a medical source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

“The vaccine is a solution to our problems,” he added, urging people to get jabbed.