The Mpox emergency has prompted the African Union to grant $10.4 million to help tackle the health menace which has been in a number of African countries.
The Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) of the AU Wednesday made an emergency approval of the grant from the existing COVID funds for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to support ongoing efforts to combat the Mpox outbreak across the continent.
Mpox, caused by the monkey pox virus is an infectious viral disease the symptoms of which include rashes, blisters, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.
Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable.
From January to July 2024, 15,074 Mpox cases (2,853 confirmed; 12,221 suspected) and 461 deaths (a case fatality rate of 3.06 percent) have been reported across twelve (12) AU member states, the AU said in a statement.
This represents a 160 percent increase in cases and a 19 percent increase in deaths in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
The AU said the funding released by the PRC will complement national efforts by African governments and support from various partners to strengthen five critical areas in the fight against Mpox.
The fund will be used to enhance Mpox surveillance and deployment surge capacity; boost laboratory testing and genomic sequencing capacity; strengthen regional and national data collection and analytics; enhance case management, infection prevention and control, and risk communication and community engagement, and improve access and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics, and supplies across the continent.
Since 2023, Mpox cases have been reported in all five African regions (Central, East, North, South, West) affecting a total of 17 countries.
They are Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, and South Africa.
