Since January 1, 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported to the World Health Organization from different countries, even in those areas where the virus is not endemic. From Africa, there are now cases in Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and the Americas.
On July 23, WHO Director-General declared the monkeypox disease outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC) to focus on the disease. Monkeypox cases in Africa have escalated further since the global outbreak caused thousands of infections and deaths.
13 African Countries Report Thousands of Monkeypox-Related Deaths
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has disclosed in a news release that 13 African countries have reported 6,883 monkeypox cases since the start of 2022.
According to their data, about 173 deaths and a case-fatality ratio of 2.5% have been registered this year. Africa CDC noted that out of the nearly 7,000 cases, 5,992 are suspected cases, and 891 are confirmed cases.
The news release reported the monkeypox cases from eight endemic countries and five non-endemic countries. The endemic countries include Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria. Meanwhile, the five non-endemic countries are Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and Sudan.
Following the declaration of PHEIC by WHO, Africa CDC reiterated their concerns on strengthening laboratory diagnostic capacities and genomic sequencing capacity for monkeypox virus in African countries.
Business Insider reports that the health body called on African states to develop and distribute general and tailored risk communication messages for vulnerable groups and communities.
Monkeypox Outbreak Predicted by African Researchers
An article in Nature has described monkeypox in Africa as a science the world ignored. For many years, even before the current outbreak, African researchers have warned the world of a possible global monkeypox outbreak. Now, as it has finally come true, the continent is concerned that they may be left behind again from receiving vaccines and international help.
The current monkeypox outbreak in Europe, such as in Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, has spurred a rapid, global response. Like in the US, vaccination programs have been implemented to prevent the virus from spreading further.
However, the same virus has been causing disease outbreaks in parts of Central and West Africa for years, leaving African researchers disheartened that such resources are yet to become available in their countries. These are places where the infection has been the highest, but they fear that they are being left behind.
They have warned for many years of a potential outbreak of the monkeypox virus, which has been behaving in new ways that make it easier to be transmitted to other people.
Although they are frustrated that they have been largely ignored until it has spread in Western nations, they still believe that global outbreaks will not improve the situation in Africa unless solutions are implemented to address the problem in the continent.
RELATED ARTICLE : Six Monkeypox-Related Deaths in the US Highlights the Ongoing Public Health Threat: Could the Country Eliminate the Virus?
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