The number of mpox cases reported since the start of the year in Africa has exceeded 59,200, while the number of affected countries has reached 20, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed.
ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — The number of mpox cases reported since the beginning of the year in Africa has exceeded 59,200, as the number of affected countries has reached 20, the African Monitoring Center has revealed. and disease prevention (CDC Africa).
During an online press conference on Thursday evening, Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the executive office of the Africa CDC, said the African continent had reported 59,220 cases of mpox since the start of the year, including 12 938 confirmed, and more than 1,164 deaths, with a case fatality rate of approximately 2% of all reported cases.
Data from the African Union’s specialized health agency shows that in the last week alone, the African continent reported 2,680 new cases, including 492 confirmed, and 22 new deaths.
Mr Ngongo said Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda account for the vast majority of new confirmed cases.
Angola became the latest African country to declare an outbreak of mpox, reporting its first confirmed case of mpox on November 16. This brings the total number of affected countries to 20.
According to the Africa CDC, the number of confirmed cases of mpox in Africa has increased by more than 600% this year compared to last year.
“The outbreak remains predominant in the Central Africa region, where it accounts for 93.2% of all confirmed cases and 99.5% of all reported deaths,” Ngongo said.
In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of continental concern. Shortly thereafter, the World Health Organization also declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest global alert level for mpox for the second time in two years.■
