107 new deaths and 3,160 new mpox-related cases have been recorded in African countries last week, raising high concerns for the health departments.
On Thursday, September 12, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention took notice of the current rates of new cases and reported deaths and described the rising toll as “not acceptable,” reported AP news.
“In the one week, we lost 107 people. It’s too much. It’s not acceptable,” said the director-general of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, as he stressed the need for higher surveillance cross-border.
He also noted that these alarming updates have been recorded just one week after the launch of the continental response plan by his agency and the U.N. World Health Organization.
The CDC director-general also emphasized the urgent need to expand testing and resources, pointing out that the current testing levels are inadequate.
He also stressed that the continent "cannot rely on only confirmed cases for decision-making and response.”
This increase in the number of cases comes just a month after WHO declared the mpox rising cases a “global emergency.”
During the mpox testing, it was noted that the men were the ones to be affected the most, having a positivity rate of 63%, while children of age 15 or less were recorded at 41%.
