JOHANNESBURG: Africa has recorded over 1,000 deaths due to mpox this year, as the disease continues to spread across 18 countries. The latest figures from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reveal a significant surge in cases and fatalities, with 50 new deaths reported in the past week alone.
According to Philippines News Agency, Africa CDC’s director general, Jean Kaseya, announced during a press briefing that the continent has seen 42,438 mpox cases this year. The past week accounted for 3,051 new infections, with Zimbabwe and Zambia experiencing new outbreaks. The data indicates that the Central African region is the most affected, responsible for 86.4 percent of the reported cases.
Kaseya highlighted a dramatic 380 percent increase in mpox cases compared to the previous year. The disease, previously known as monkeypox, was renamed by the World Health Organization in 2022 to avoid racial and stigmatizing connotations. Mpox is a zoonotic disease that can transmit to humans
through close physical contact with an infected person or animal, or through contact with contaminated materials.
The symptoms of mpox include rashes or lesions, fever, headaches, muscle and back pain, general weakness, and swollen lymph nodes. As the outbreak continues to escalate, health officials are urging increased awareness and precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus.