By Sola Ogundipe

The World Health Organization, WHO, has reported a total of 6603 confirmed mpox cases, including 32 deaths across 15 African countries in 2024, with 402 confirmed cases and no deaths reported in the last week.

According to the 38th WHO situation report for the multi-country outbreak of mpox published 28th September 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, Burundi, and Nigeria are reporting the most suspected cases.

The DRC, remains the epicenter of the outbreak in Africa, with a total of 5,621 confirmed cases and 25 deaths, and 27,103 suspected cases and 838 deaths among the suspected cases.

It is followed by Burundi (696 cases, no deaths) and Nigeria (78 cases, no deaths), even as all currently affected countries on the continent have reported new cases in the last six weeks, with Guinea reporting its first mpox case in the past month.

The deaths in DRC are mainly linked to clade Ib MPXV driving transmission in South Kivu province. Testing challenges and delays in case confirmation continue to hinder efforts to control the outbreak in the DRC.

Burundi has seen a significant increase in mpox cases, with 35 of 49 districts affected since the start of the outbreak in July 2024. Children under 5 years of age account for approximately 30 percent of confirmed cases in Burundi.

The latest data received enabled a more detailed analysis of the national and subnational epidemiological situation for the DRC and for Burundi.

Testing challenges and delays in case confirmation persist in the DRC, with 37 percent of suspected cases tested in 2024. Positivity among tested cases is around 55 percent.

The WHO has emphasised the need for increased surveillance, testing, and contact tracing to prevent further spread of mpox in Africa. The organization has also outlined a research roadmap to address knowledge gaps and inform response efforts.

From the update, as of 22 September, 2024, 31,427 suspected cases, including 844 deaths (CFR 2.7 percent) have been reported in Africa, with 2,085 new cases and 32 deaths in the last week.

Similarly, a total of 106, 310 confirmed mpox cases have been reported with 234 deaths across 123 countries since the beginning of the year up till the end of August 2024.