The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced that approximately one billion dollars has been pledged by governments and donors to combat the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa. Among the contributions, the United States has committed five million dollars. Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of Africa CDC, emphasized the urgent need for improved monitoring and understanding of the virus’s transmission during a media briefing on Friday.
Dr. Kaseya pointed out the significant challenges in the continent’s response to the outbreak, citing poor surveillance, inadequate testing, and limited contact tracing capabilities. Currently, less than four percent of contacts are being traced, complicating efforts to control the spread of the virus. The Africa CDC and the World Health Organization are coordinating the continental response and are set to meet with U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra to discuss the allocation of the pledged funds, which will focus on training frontline health workers, enhancing disease surveillance, and improving laboratory diagnostic supplies.
Additionally, vaccine donations have reached 4.3 million doses, with Japan contributing three million doses to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the outbreak’s epicenter, and the U.S. pledging one million doses. However, vaccine distribution has been sluggish, with only a small fraction arriving on the continent due to logistical challenges and ongoing armed conflict. The DRC is preparing for vaccination rollouts, but issues such as poor infrastructure may hinder these efforts, raising concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly through truck drivers.
Dr. Kaseya highlighted the need for increased community health workers to strengthen surveillance efforts, proposing the deployment of 40,000 community networkers in the DRC. He also raised concerns about the under-researched Clade I of the virus, which has mutated into the more infectious Clade Ib, lacking rapid diagnostic tests. With 15 African countries reporting mpox cases this year and 32,000 suspected cases logged, the outbreak has drawn attention due to the alarming spread through sexual and close physical contact, leading to numerous infections and fatalities, particularly among children.
