About 4,000 more mpox cases were reported in Africa last week, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said yesterday.
In another development, Nigeria yesterday received 10,000 mpox vaccine doses, becoming the first country to receive the vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) Nigeria office said in a statement.
Group deploys epidemiologists to get a better outbreak picture
At a telebriefing yesterday, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, said the outbreak is increasing, with 22,863 cases reported since the first of the year, up about 4,000 from the previous week. Deaths rose by 81 last week, putting the region’s fatality count at 622.
One more country—Gabon—recently reported its first case, lifting the number of affected countries to 13.
Earlier this week, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned that the expanding mpox outbreak could be devastating for refugees and displaced communities in the DRC and other African countries. At a briefing, the group said at least 42 suspected cases have been reported in refugee populations in the DRC’s South Kivu province. The group said conflict-affected provinces in the DRC host most of the country’s 7.3 million internally displaced people, which may mean the groups are cut off from humanitarian assistance.
Kaseya said cases are still increasing, but officials know that surveillance is still weak and that the case counts likely underestimate the disease burden. He also said officials know there is a data quality issue and said Africa CDC is deploying 72 epidemiologists to affected countries to get a better idea of where and how mpox is spreading.
Over the past week, Africa CDC officials have met with government heads from the DRC, as well as with international response partners, Kaseya said, adding that the DRC’s commitment to battling the outbreak is clear and that the group is heartened by mpox vaccine donations that have already come from Europe; the United States; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and other partners. Talks are under way with other donors.
Nigeria vaccine earmarked for 5 states
The WHO’s Nigeria office said the mpox vaccine doses it received, Jynneos made by Bavarian Nordic, will be rolled out in five states with the highest mpox burden. Nigerian regulators had already granted emergency use authorization for the vaccine.
Nigeria has reported mpox for several years, with cases that peaked in 2022. As of August 10, the country this year has reported 786 cases, 39 of them confirmed. None were fatal.
Muhammad Ali Pate, MD, MBA, MS, Nigeria’s health minister, said, “We are pleased to receive this modest initial donation of the mpox vaccine which is safe and efficacious. We will continue to strengthen surveillance and be vigilant to prevent and control mpox. We urge the global health community to expand access to vaccines.”
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