Mpox pace remains brisk in Africa as virus resurfaces in Brazzaville

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African countries reported nearly 3,200 mpox cases last week, and 53 people died from their infections, with the Republic of Congo capital, Brazzaville, reporting its first case in 6 weeks, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said today at a weekly briefing.

Though 16 countries in the region have reported cases this year, five make up more than 98% of cases: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Uganda.

Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, director-general of the Africa CDC, said the burden of the disease in children younger than 15 years remains high in the DRC, Burundi, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Central African Republic. He added that more epidemiologic information is needed to show how the virus is spreading in this vulnerable population.

In the DRC, the hardest-hit country, five provinces are reporting only the novel clade 1b mpox virus, and two, including Kinshasa and Tshopo, are reporting a mix of clade 1a and 1b infections. Meanwhile, Burundi is reporting clade 1b in its confirmed cases, with children making up just over half of cases.

More than 1,600 people vaccinated so far

Kaseya congratulated the DRC’s government for its efforts to communicate with the public about the disease and vaccine rollout, though some logistical challenges remain. The DRC began vaccinating high-risk groups in some of its hot spots on October 5.

Nicaise Ndembi, MSc, PhD, a senior advisor to the Africa CDC, said 1,654 people have been vaccinated so far in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tshopo provinces.

Health officials said the next steps are launching vaccination campaigns in the remaining affected provinces and health zones and that preparations are under way for vaccination in Kinshasa. The Africa CDC said monitoring is under way for allocation of the LC 16 vaccine, donated by Japan, for the vaccination of children younger than 18 years.

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