Almost 30,000 suspected mpox cases in Africa this year - WHO

Sep 24, 2024 - 17:11

The hands of a patient with skin rashes caused by the mpox virus are pictured at the treatment center of Vijana Hospital in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo August 30, 2024. REUTERS/Justin Makangara/File Photo

Nearly 30,000 suspected mpox cases have been reported in Africa so far this year, most of them in Democratic Republic of Congo where tests have run out, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

More than 800 people died of suspected mpox across the continent in that time, the U.N. health body said in its report. Congo's central African neighbour Burundi has also been hit by a growing outbreak, it added.

Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.

An undated colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (pink) found within an infected cell (yellow), cultured in the laboratory, captured at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. NIAID/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

The WHO statement did not give comparative figures from previous years. The African Union's public health agency has said 14,957 cases and 739 deaths were reported from seven affected states in 2023 - a 78.5% increase in new cases from 2022.

There were 29,342 suspected cases and 812 deaths across Africa from January to Sept. 15 this year, according to the WHO report.

Sumaya Hatungimana, 12, shows the marks on her hands after recovering from Mpox, outside her house in Kinama zone, in Bujumbura, Burundi, August 28, 2024. REUTERS/Ngendakumana Evrard/File Photo