The African Union's health watchdog declared a public health emergency due to the escalating mpox pandemic across the continent in an online media briefing.
"With a heavy heart but with an unyielding commitment to our people, to our African citizens, we declare mpox as a public health emergency of continental security," Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said.
Kaseya emphasized that the declaration is a "clarion call for action." As of August 4, CDC data reported 38,465 cases and 1,456 deaths in Africa since January 2022.
"It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat," he said.
The declaration aims to facilitate the early mobilization of resources to combat the virus. It precedes a World Health Organization meeting on August 14 to discuss whether to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The virus, first identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, has since spread to various African countries, affecting thousands. Two subtypes of it exist: Clade I in Central Africa and Clade II in West Africa, with recent cases attributed to the Clade IIb subclade.