Mpox is not under control, warns Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

More than 1,100 people have died from smallpox in Africa, where nearly 48,000 cases have been reported since January, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cases were still rising in several countries as the continent struggled to contain another major outbreak following Covid-19, which exposed Africa’s weak health system.

“The situation has not yet been brought under control. Overall, we continue to see an upward trend,” Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the executive office of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an online briefing.

So far, 19 African countries have reported cases of smallpox after the infection was discovered in Mauritius, a magnet for tourists drawn by its stunning white beaches and crystal clear waters.

The situation has been particularly alarming in Uganda, which this week reported its first death from the virus.

However, there are not enough resources to contain the outbreak, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns.

“What we need is constant political and financial mobilization,” Ngongo said, adding that this is a necessary measure to prevent mpox from becoming another pandemic “that would be much more serious than Covid-19.”

Smallpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans from infected animals, but can also be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact.

The viral disease associated with smallpox causes fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a blistering rash and has two main subtypes—clade 1 and clade 2.

The UK announced on Wednesday that it had identified the country’s first case of the newest mpox variant, clade 1b.

Most of the deaths occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, where a vaccination campaign began earlier this month.

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