Africa is seeing a rapid increase in mpox cases with nearly 4,000 reported in the past week, the continent's public health body said Tuesday as it repeated a plea for long-awaited vaccines that were due to arrive this week but will now be delayed.
Eighty-one deaths from mpox were reported in Africa in the past week, bringing the total cases and deaths to 22,863 and 622, respectively, Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told an online briefing.
About 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines have been promised by Western partners such as the European Union and the United States, he said. That's less than 15% of the doses authorities have said are needed to end the mpox outbreaks in Congo, the epicenter of the ongoing global emergency.
Following mpox outbreaks outside the African continent in 2022, wealthy countries quickly responded with vaccines and treatments from their stockpiles. However, only a few doses have reached Africa despite pleas from its governments.
At the earliest, the first batch of vaccine doses promised to Africa will arrive on Sept. 1 after delays caused by documentation and emergency authorization issues, Kaseya said.
