"Africa's Mpox Epidemic: A Growing Health Crisis"

The Mpox epidemic in Africa has emerged as a significant health crisis, with the virus spreading rapidly across multiple regions. The situation highlights the urgent need for increased awareness, better healthcare infrastructure, and coordinated efforts to control the outbreak. The epidemic poses serious challenges to public health, with concerns over the virus's impact and the effectiveness of current response measures.

On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency due to a sharp increase in mpox cases, previously known as monkeypox, particularly across Africa. The outbreak is driven by a new strain, Clade Ib, which is considered highly transmissible and distinct from the Clade IIb variant responsible for the 2022 epidemic in non-endemic countries.

Although a Clade Ib infection was recently reported in Sweden and the WHO anticipates more cases in Europe soon, the outbreak is predominantly centered in Africa. According to data from the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Democratic Republic of Congo currently has the highest number of suspected or confirmed cases on the continent, with nearly 18,000 cases recorded between January 1 and August 16, and 535 deaths. Four virus clades have now been identified in Africa: Clade Ia, Clade Ib, Clade IIa, and Clade IIb.

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Source: Statista‍