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Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the main infectious focus in Africa from mpoxregistered 548 deaths in 2024 for the disease formerly known as monkeypox, the government said after World Health Organization (WHO) will declare the current outbreak in several African countries a public health emergency of international concern.

“According to the latest epidemiological report, there are registered cases in our country 15,664 potential cases And 548 deaths “since the beginning of the year,” Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba said in a video broadcast on the social network X early Thursday morning.

“Almost all provinces are affected now,” he added.

Thus, Congolese government launched a response in three main areas: “awareness raising and community mobilization,” for example through epidemiological surveillance devices; “health prevention” through a “strategic national vaccination plan,” among others; and international “resource mobilization” through organizations such as the African Union (AU).

Kamba released the latest figures just a day after CEO WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesuswill declare mpox a public health emergency of international concern.

This is the second time in two years that the infectious disease is thought to be at risk international health threata warning that was raised in May last year after the global outbreak broke out in 2022, when the situation was considered under control after its spread had been contained.

WHO He stressed that this time the outbreaks are not the result of the spread of the same virus. variant of the virusbut more than one, and that there were also varying levels of risk and infection, whereas two years ago transmission was almost exclusively sexual.

The UN health agency made the decision after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC, the region’s main public health agency) said on Tuesday that continental emergency by MPOX, maximum alert level at continental level.

According to the latest data from the African CDC, the AU-dependent organization is at least 13 African countries they have registered cases mpox is currently in 2024.

Thus, for the first time, an infection was recorded in the country. Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda And Ugandaand also in DRCWhere the disease is endemic, infections have been observed in previously unaffected provinces.

Central African Republic (RCA) announced the smallpox outbreak on August 1, with infections also reported in South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Liberia And Nigeria.

As the CEO reported last week CDC from Africa, Jean CaseySmallpox cases in Africa increased by 160% between 2023 and 2024, meaning this year will be “more than double what it was in 2023 and more.”

In accordance with Caseyit will take more than ten million doses of vaccines To contain the emergency, this figure is far from the current 200,000 people.