Mpox deaths rise by 107 in a week as Africa CDC calls the toll unacceptable

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - African countries recorded more than 100 mpox-related deaths in the past week, the continental health body said Thursday as it described the rising toll as "not acceptable."

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said 107 new deaths and 3,160 new cases had been recorded in the past week, just a week after his agency and the U.N. World Health Organization launched a continental response plan.

"In the one week, we lost 107 (people). It's too much. It's not acceptable." he said as he emphasized the need for stronger cross-border surveillance.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches. People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

In testing for the disease, men recorded the highest positivity rate at 63%, while children under the age of 15 were at 41%.

Kaseya said there was need for increased testing and resources to support it, adding that the continent was not testing enough and that it “cannot rely on only confirmed cases for decision-making and response."

Mpox can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, and Kaseya said more research is needed to determine how common this is.

The number of cases has been rising rapidly, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last month, but until recently there have been relatively few deaths. The increased number of cases come a month after WHO declared outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency.

The estimated budget for the six-month plan put forward by Africa CDC and WHO is almost $600 million, with 55% allocated to the response to mpox in 14 affected nations and boosting readiness in 15 others.

Some African Union member states have already contributed to the response plan budget, a step that Kaseya lauded as showing ownership by the continent.

Africa is in the process of receiving vaccines. Some 250,000 doses have already been delivered to Congo, but these are just a fraction of the 3 million doses authorities have said are needed to end the outbreak there, the epicenter of the global health emergency.

EU countries pledged to donate more than 500,000 doses, but the timeline for delivery remained unclear.

The recommended course of vaccination requires two doses. Kaseya said this would still be ideal despite the high level of need, because "we don't want to compromise on protection of our people."

The director-general said he would be travelling to Congo to get vaccinated when the exercise kicks off in the first week of October "to show the African people and Congolese people that the vaccine is safe."

Africa CDC has so far recorded 5,731 confirmed mpox cases and 724 associated deaths since the beginning of the year.