African Union health agency declares ‘public health emergency’

The African Union’s health agency declared on Tuesday, August 13, a “public health emergency”in the face of the growing epidemic of mpox on the continent. This is its highest level of alert. The organization has also launched a “clear call to action” to stop the spread of the disease, formerly known as monkeypox.

This announcement will notably make it possible to release funds for access to vaccines and to have a continental response. MPOX is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans but is also transmitted by close physical contact with a person infected with the virus.

A total of 38,465 cases have been recorded in 16 African countries since January 2022, for 1,456 deaths, with in particular a 160% increase in cases in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to data published in early August by the health agency Africa CDC.

Africa is facing the spread of a new strain of the virus, detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September 2023 and called “Clade Ib”, more deadly and more transmissible than the previous ones. Cases have been reported in various areas of the continent (Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, DRC, Rwanda, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, etc.). According to the Africa CDC, the fatality rate of the virus is higher than 3% and children under 15 are the most affected, representing at least 60% of cases.