Rapid spread of Mpox in Africa
Published: Friday, Sep 20th 2024, 13:20
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The infectious disease Mpox continues to spread in Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, a good 25,000 suspected cases had already been reported by 8 September this year. A total of 723 deaths have been reported. A few weeks ago, the number of suspected cases was still around 18,000.
"The situation in Burundi is escalating rapidly, the number of cases has risen by 40 percent within four weeks," said Paul Ngwakum from the UN Children's Fund Unicef. A third of those affected are under five years old.
According to the WHO, young children are particularly at risk because the disease Mpox (formerly monkeypox) can be life-threatening if those affected are already weakened, for example due to malnutrition. The vaccine from the German-Danish company Bavarian Nordic, which is being delivered at full speed, is not approved for small children.
According to the WHO, by far the most suspected cases have been reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a total of almost 22,000 and 717 deaths. Burundi follows with 1,500 cases and Nigeria with almost 1,000 cases. No deaths have been reported from these two countries. As there is hardly any testing due to a lack of capacity, there is always talk of suspected cases.
The UN organizations assume that the number of unreported cases is high. The clearly visible rash causes people to hide instead of seeking medical help, said Ngwakum. In the past, Mpox was almost always transmitted through sexual contact, a taboo subject in Africa. However, the virus is now spreading through normal skin contact.
©Keystone/SDA
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