Mpox Cases Decline in Africa, but Vigilance Urged

Recent data suggests a drop in mpox cases across some African hotspots, offering a glimmer of hope. However, health officials remain cautious, emphasizing the need for ongoing monitoring and strategic interventions to control the virus’s spread.

Positive Trends in Some Areas

During a June 26 briefing by the Africa Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (Africa CDC), Dr. Yap Boum, the deputy incident manager for the Africa CDC’s mpox response, shared encouraging news. He stated that Sierra Leone’s cases constituted 41% of the continent’s total the prior week, a decrease from 63% a few weeks earlier.

“Though Boum urged caution in interpreting the trends, he said that countries are battling different viral clades, have implemented different measures, and are seeing different social behaviors in the highest-risk populations.”

—Dr. Yap Boum, Deputy Incident Manager for Africa CDC’s Mpox Response

While testing remains challenging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a consistent downturn is also evident there, and Uganda is stabilizing. In June 2024, the World Health Organization declared the end of the mpox outbreak. (WHO 2024)

Ongoing Challenges and Responses

Despite the progress, Sierra Leone still records around 500 cases weekly, with a high test-positivity rate (91%), signifying the need for more active surveillance. The Africa CDC plans to deploy 200 community health workers to aid in contact tracing and case detection. Meanwhile, Togo is experiencing a steady rise in cases, prompting the deployment of an Africa CDC incident-management support team.

Vaccination Efforts

Seven African nations have launched vaccination drives, administering nearly 700,000 doses. Uganda recently received nearly 98,000 more vaccine doses, and Sierra Leone initiated its second round of vaccinations on June 23, targeting high-risk groups across its 16 districts. However, the region still needs to reach its vaccine goals.