While in Europe the cases of monkeypox (Mpox) are under control, as the Spanish government also reiterated today, the situation is very different in Africawhere cases due to the most aggressive subtype of the virus are multiplying Mpxvthat is, the Clade I. There are more and more calls for the availability of the Vaccinewhich could help contain the infection at this time. Attention is also high in South Americawhere theHonduras intends to strengthen surveillance, and in Argentinawhere the diagnosed cases this year have risen to nine, activating the emergency protocol due to symptoms compatible with monkeypox in a crew member of a ship that set sail from the port of Saintsin Brazil.
While the Western world considers vaccines an essential resource to prepare for a possible emergency, in Africa are already essential to avoid the worst. “As we know, poor access to vaccines will further exacerbate this crisis,” notes the global director of Amref Health Africa.
While theWorld Health Organization Mpox declared “a Public Health Emergency of International Concern”, for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it is “a public health emergency of continental security”.
The first surge in Mpox cases in Africa dates back to 2022 and since then the numbers have been steadily increasing, up to 37,583 reported (from 2022 to 2024) in 15 countries of the continent by African CDCsThe most affected is the Democratic Republic of Congowhere the 96.3% of cases. In 2024 alone, according to data from the African CDC updated to last July, 1,000 cases were reported 14,250 new cases and 456 deaths, with an increase of 160% compared to July 2023.
In addition to the numbers, the appearance of the new subtype of the virus is also raising concerns. Clade Icalled Clade Ib. The outbreaks are currently multiplying in Uganda, Kenya And Central African Republic and strengthening surveillance is a must, both with public health measures to contain the virus and with cross-border control activities. But it is not enough: to prevent the situation from becoming even more serious, the vaccines and many humanitarian organizations are multiplying appeals to make them available.
“It is worth remembering again that, while health systems operate at a local level, health risks are global and health security is a challenge shared worldwide,” he notes. Amref Health Africawhich is working on the continent “to improve laboratory capacity for diagnosis and confirmation of Mpox” and “training health workers in infection prevention and control and case management”. Infections due to the rapid spread of the subtype Clade Ib are affecting mainly children and adolescents in Africa and, based on this data, the Danish company Bavarian Nordicthe producer of the Mpox vaccine, recently asked theEuropean Medicines Agency authorization for use in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.