By Africa is once again facing a health scare as Mpox continues to spread rapidly across member states within the African Union (AU), resulting in 517 fatalities thus far.
The African Union (AU) Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR), H.E Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern over the rapid spread of Mpox within the AU noting the significant rise in both cases and fatalities. Ramaphosa said this rise indicates a concerning shift in epidemiological patterns.
According to Cyril Ramaphosa, since the start of 2024, a total of 17,541 cases, of which 2,822 are confirmed and 14,719 are suspected and 517 deaths due to Mpox have been reported across 13 AU Member States.
More member states are reporting the presence of Mpox in their countries as three more countries within the AU reported cases under investigation, bring the total number of countries to 16. The number of cases reported is rather concerning as they surged by 160% compared to the same period in 2023.
“As the PPPR Champion, I was consulted on and fully support the Director General of Africa CDC’s declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. This crucial decision empowers Africa CDC to lead and coordinate our collective response efforts, strengthening the Mpox response at every level—from community engagement to collaboration with the highest political authorities and our international partners. The declaration will also galvanize political leadership and engagement among AU Heads of State and Government, facilitating the rapid mobilisation of essential financial and technical resources,” said Ramaphosa.
Cyril Ramaphosa has since called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is fair and equitable, not to repeat the same mistake as in 2022 when vaccines for COVID-19 were hoarded by Western countries.
“This PHEIC must be different and correct the unfair treatment from the previous one declared in 2022, where vaccines and therapeutics were developed and made available primarily to Western countries, with little support extended to Africa. I call upon WHO and all partners to collaborate closely with Africa CDC to ensure that this PHEIC unlocks appropriate support from the international community, guaranteeing equitable access to medical countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines,” he said.
Ramaphosa further commended the Permanent Representatives Committee for their decisive action in releasing USD 10.4 million from the COVID-19 Fund to support the Mpox outbreak response.
“I urge the AU policy organs to expedite the finalisation of the framework for operationalising the African Epidemic Fund, as approved by the Heads of State during the 2023 AU Assembly, by the end of August 2024.
I call upon AU Member States to increase domestic resource allocation, lead their national Mpox outbreak responses through a One Health approach, and enhance their capacities, particularly in areas such as capacity building, risk communication, community engagement, case detection, contact tracing, and cross-border surveillance,” called Ramaphosa.
