The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has declared mpox, (formerly called monkeypox), a public health emergency in the continent.

The Africa CDC director-general, Jean Kaseya, made the declaration in an online briefing on Tuesday.

Me Kaseya said, “With a heavy heart but with an unyielding commitment to our people, to our African citizens, we declare mpox as public health emergency of continental security.”

“Mpox has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across our continent, families have been torn apart and the pain and suffering have touched every corner of our continent,” he lamented.

“This declaration is not merely a formality, it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,” said Mr Kaseya.

A data by the CDC as of August 4, revealed that 38,465 cases of mpox and 1,456 deaths had been reported in Africa since January 2022.

Mr Kaseya on his X handle on Saturday, blamed “insecurity, limited understanding of Mpox transmission, and co-infections like HIV present significant challenges,” for the huge numbers, and called on global partners to strengthen the continent’s response, led by Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC boss, on Saturday, had also lamented the insufficient number of doses of the vaccine available to control the outbreak, and therefore asked for international assistance.

“With only 200,000 doses of the mpox vaccine available and a need for 10 million doses to effectively control the outbreak, international solidarity is crucial. Let’s support global vaccination efforts,” he pleaded.

According to the CDC, the alarming spread of the infection has reached 15,000 mpox cases and 461 deaths were reported on the continent so far this year, amounting to about 160 per cent increase from the same period in 2023.