Dylan Bettencourt
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to send thousands of monkeypox test kits to Africa.
WHO Africa director Matshidiso Moeti said it is not recommending mass vaccination at this point, but said that Africa should be prepared for mass vaccinations if required.
The WHO decided to begin procuring monkeypox test kits for the continent as several new cases have been reported.
This year alone the continent has recorded 1,597 suspected cases of monkeypox with 66 deaths. The numbers were revealed on Thursday by acting director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Ahmed Ogwell Ouma.
The viral infection is endemic in a number of African countries, meaning it is always in circulation among the populations of these countries.
While there is no specific vaccine for monkeypox, the smallpox vaccine has shown to provide 85% protection.
Ouma said he believes the fight to contain monkeypox should begin in Africa.
“Our position is that vaccination is an important tool and needs to start here in Africa,” Ouma said during the Africa CDC weekly briefing.
“Here the burden is larger, the risk higher and the geographical spread is also broader.”
Ouma revealed that Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone have confirmed cases of monkeypox.
However, Europe remains the epicentre of the global monkeypox outbreak, according to the WHO.
“Twenty-five countries reported more than 1,500 cases, or 85% of the global total,” Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said during a news conference on Wednesday.
The WHO is set to hold an emergency meeting next week to determine whether the monkeypox outbreak requires an international concern for public health.
Image source: @Reuters
