There is now more testing, more vaccinations and, above all, more information about the dangers. But the number of Mpox cases in Africa is still rising.
The fight against the spread of Mpox is not yet showing great success in Africa. Two more countries have now reported Mpox cases within the past six weeks, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There are 16 countries in total. Cases were discovered in Zambia and Ghana for the first time this year. The number of suspected cases across Africa rose by 3.6 percent to 36,787 (as of October 6).
The Democratic Republic of Congo continues to be hardest hit. 85 percent of suspected cases were registered there. In total, the Mpox virus (formerly: monkeypox) was confirmed in around 6,000 cases in the country. Experts assume that the number of unreported cases is high.
On the one hand, only some of the people with a skin rash are tested, and on the other hand, many of those affected probably do not go to clinics at all. This is because many people are ashamed because people initially became infected primarily through sex. The disease spreads through direct contact with skin or mucous membranes. Small children are now also often affected.
The disease causes a rash all over the body and is accompanied by fever and body aches (you can read more about the course here). It can be life-threatening for small children and people already weakened by other illnesses. Vaccinations against Mpox started in Congo at the beginning of October.
Overall, the number of confirmed infections across Africa has risen sharply in recent weeks. This is mainly because more tests are being carried out every week. The WHO has declared Mpox a “public health emergency of international concern”. However, European authorities consider the risk of it spreading in Europe to be low.