ADDIS ABABA: Africa is no longer in the grip of a public health emergency over mpox, though the viral infection “remains endemic in several settings,” the head of the region’s disease monitoring centers said on Saturday.
The announcement by Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes after the World Health Organization in September said mpox was no longer a global health emergency.
The World Health Organization declared its worldwide public health emergency over the viral infection — previously known as Monkeypox, and related to smallpox — in August 2024.
WHO had declared its worldwide public health emergency over the viral infection — previously known as Monkeypox, and related to smallpox — in August 2024, after a two-pronged mpox epidemic broke out, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kaseya said Africa was lifting its regional emergency status for the illness due to enhanced detection, improved treatment, and the rollout of more than 5 million mpox vaccines in 16 countries since 2024.
