- Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said Mpox constitutes a public health emergency of continental concern.
- "We must act now with urgency and purpose. Protect yourself and your loved one"
Image: CDC/ HANDOUT
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has declared mpox a public health emergency.
While addressing the press on Tuesday, Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya said Mpox constitutes a public health emergency of continental concern, its highest form of alert.
"We must act now with urgency and purpose. Protect yourself and your loved one. Follow the guidance of health authorities. We must stand together as one continent, united by our resolve to overcome this. Mpox might have taken us by surprise but it will not defeat us," he said.
He said the Centre will in the next few weeks come up with a response plan coming from all national plans.
As a response plan, Kaseya has called for the rapid distribution of 200,000 doses in Africa.
"I call upon members' state to Fastrack the emergency authorisation of mpox that will play a critical role in safeguarding public health and ensuring rapid access to life-saving interventions," he added.
Mpox is one species of pox virus, such as smallpox and cowpox, characterised by a rash followed by bumps that appear on the skin. With mpox the bumps then fill with liquid and eventually scab over.
There are two strains of mpox – clade I and clade II.
The virus spreads through contact such as sharing utensils, plates, towels and bedding.
Women and children are disproportionately affected by skin-to-skin contact because they are close to each other every day.
Viruses also spread easily when people live in densely populated, low-income areas and can’t isolate themselves because they have to bring in an income.
Two of the other reasons mpox spreads quickly are the longer incubation period and vague symptoms.
The incubation period ranges quite widely from five to up to 21 days. A person can become infected with mpox during this period and travel to another country and transmit the disease to others.
The initial symptoms are vague and include swollen glands, fever and feeling a bit run down. It is estimated 10% of people infected with mpox are asymptomatic.
As of August 9, at least 12 Kenyans have been tested for Mpox since the outbreak was declared on July 31.
The Ministry of Health said all of them tested negative, which means no other case has been confirmed in Kenya.
Suspected sample testing is being done at the National Public Health Laboratory the Kenya Medical Research Institute and CDC laboratories.
The ministry explained the 42-year-old truck driver found with the disease last week had rashes all over his body.
“The patient was presenting with septic spots on the face, neck, forearms, back, chest, feet, and private parts since July 3, 2024,” the Department of Public Health and Professional Standards said in its first situation report.
The first patient has since recovered and was released to go home.
The update comes as the World Health Organization said it had elevated the Mpox outbreak response to the highest level requiring organisation-wide mobilisation and scale-up.