The World Health Organization reported on Monday (23) that about 30,000 suspected cases of smallpox have been recorded in Africa so far this year, most of them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where testing has ended.
More than 800 people have died from the suspected disease across the continent during that period, the U.N. health body said in its report, adding that Burundi, Congo’s neighbor in central Africa, has also been hit by a growing outbreak.
Mpox can be spread through close contact. It is generally mild, but can be fatal in rare cases. It usually causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
The WHO statement did not provide figures for comparisons with previous years. The African Union public health agency said 14,957 cases and 739 deaths had been recorded in seven affected countries in 2023 — a 78.5% increase in new cases from 2022.
According to the WHO report, there were 29,342 suspected cases and 812 deaths across Africa from January to September 15 this year.
The organization said that a total of 2,082 confirmed cases of infection were reported worldwide in August alone, the highest number since November 2022.
The World Bank’s Pandemic Response Fund said on Saturday it would provide $128.89 million to 10 African countries to help combat the outbreak.
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