Kinshasa, Sep 07, 2024, IANS

Kinshasa/Addis Ababa, Sep 7 (IANS) Africa is witnessing an "upward trend" in mpox cases, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned as it launched a joint continental response plan with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The six-month plan, running from September 2024 to February 2025, has an estimated budget of nearly $600 million. Of this, 55 per cent is allocated to mpox response efforts in affected countries, while the remaining 45 per cent is directed toward operational and technical support through partner organisations, Xinhua news agency reported. Since 2024, the continent has reported 24,851 suspected mpox cases, including 5,549 confirmed cases and 643 deaths, said Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, during an online press briefing on Friday. Congo has emerged as the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 90 per cent of reported cases. Congo has reported 20,463 suspected cases, including 635 deaths. Kaseya said there is an "upward trend" in mpox cases across Africa, with at least 14 countries affected, particularly since May 2024. WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti, who also participated in the briefing, called for a unified approach to contain the outbreak in Congo. She emphasised the importance of coordination under the Africa CDC-WHO joint continental response plan. "This is an important milestone for coordinated action between our agencies to support countries by strengthening expertise, mobilising resources, and rapidly halting the spread of mpox," Moeti said. "By working together, we can achieve more, ensuring that communities and individuals are protected from this virus." In mid-August, the WHO declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, citing the emergence of a more dangerous but poorly understood variant, clade 1b, first detected in Congo in September 2023. Cases of this clade 1b strain have since been reported in several countries, including Sweden and Thailand. On Wednesday, Guinea confirmed its first mpox case, and Kaseya noted that genetic sequencing tests are underway to determine if the clade 1b variant has spread to West Africa. Congo, which received its first batch of 99,100 mpox vaccine doses on Thursday, is currently developing a distribution and vaccination strategy, particularly in the eastern part of the country, where most cases have been reported amid a prolonged humanitarian crisis. However, health authorities have not yet announced when vaccinations will begin.