Nairobi: Mpox is not under control in Africa, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
Within a week, almost 3,000 new suspected cases of the disease were reported in Africa, 374 of which were confirmed, the Africa CDC said.
Additionally, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya said in his weekly briefing that 14 more deaths related to the disease had been recorded. This brings the total since the beginning of the year to more than 29,000 cases and 738 deaths in 15 countries on the continent.
“We can say now: Mpox is not under control in Africa,” Kaseya emphasized in light of the rising numbers. The gap between suspected and confirmed cases is due to insufficient testing and laboratory capacities. Compared to the same period last year, there are about 180% more disease cases and 39% more deaths. “Enough is enough; We have to stop this,” Kaseya said. (DPA)
