Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported that the death toll from Africa’s recent monkeypox virus disease (mpox) outbreak has risen to 979.

Africa CDC director-general Jean Kaseya disclosed this during an online media briefing on Thursday evening,

According to the centre, since the beginning of 2024, there have been 38,300 mpox cases, including 7,339 confirmed ones.

Ms Kaseya said the continent reported 3,186 new cases in the past week alone, with 489 confirmed cases and 53 deaths.

He emphasised that the outbreak remains a significant public health concern across the continent, adding that sixteen African countries, spanning all five regions, reported cases.

Data from the African Union’s specialised healthcare agency shows Central Africa is the hardest-hit region.

The subregion accounts for over 99 per cent of all Mpox-related deaths reported this year.

Six Central African countries have reported 33,735 suspected cases, 7,109 confirmed cases, and 975 deaths this year.

“With the increase in the number of cases, mpox is still a major public health issue in Africa. Last week, we had 3,186 new cases.

“Under this trend, what we are seeing for the past four to five weeks is (a weekly average of) 2,500 to 3,000 new cases.

“We don’t see a decrease in terms of deaths. It means the outbreak is still there, still increasing, and we need to continue to be focused to stop that,” Mr Kaseya said.

He said the number of mpox cases reported this year marked a staggering 300 per cent increase compared to the total cases recorded in 2023.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Uganda represent the top five countries reporting the highest confirmed cases, accounting for 98.7 per cent of the total cases.

Mr Kaseya underscored the urgent need to prioritise investigation and research among the most vulnerable segments of the population, such as children under 15 years.

In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of continental security.

Soon after, the World Health Organisation also declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest global alert for the disease for the second time in two years.

Mpox was first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958, and it is believed to be transmitted from wild animals, such as rodents, to humans or through human-to-human contact.

(Xinhua/NAN)