An mpox outbreak in Africa has been declared a continent-wide public health emergency. This is the first time the region’s main health advisory body has invoked this power, aiming to mobilize resources.
The declaration will encourage countries in the region to share timely information about mpox’s spread with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). This will enable the agency to better access financial aid, according to Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Addis Ababa-based agency, who spoke on Tuesday.
“Today I commit to you that African citizens will lead this fight with every resource at our disposal,” he told a virtual press briefing. “We’ll work with government, international partners and local communities to ensure that every African, from the bustling cities to the remote area, is protected.”
An mpox strain has spread to at least six African countries, infecting approximately 15,000 individuals and claiming over 500 lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone this year. This variant was initially reported in the DRC less than a year ago.
While mpox vaccines are available, few have reached Africa, the only continent where the disease is endemic. At approximately $100 per dose, the vaccines are currently quite expensive, Kaseya has previously stated. Africa will need an estimated $4 billion to combat mpox, a sum that “we are confident that we can leverage,” he added.
Approximately 200,000 doses will start being distributed to the most severely affected countries within the next two weeks. Efforts are underway to secure more than 10 million doses, which is the projected ultimate need for the continent, according to Kaseya.
The Africa CDC’s action comes a day before a panel of advisors convened by the is scheduled to meet to assess whether the deadly outbreak constitutes an international emergency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in May 2022 when cases of a milder strain emerged globally. However, “Africa didn’t get appropriate support,” Kaseya remarked. When the agency lowered its alert level a year later, “cases in Africa continued to increase and today we are facing the consequence of no assistance,” he stated.
The Africa CDC was only granted the authority to declare regional public health emergencies in 2023. This is despite warnings from the WHO that such a declaration could trigger travel and trade restrictions, potentially isolating the continent. However, Kaseya insists there is no justification for closing borders or halting trade.
“What we were doing before didn’t work,” he said. “We call upon our international partners to take this mpox as an opportunity to act differently and to work closely with African CDC and African countries to provide appropriate support to affected people.”