Welcome to the ninth issue of our report, “Mpox: Transparency and Accountability for the Global Response.”
In the wake of the U.S. health agencies’ communications and foreign aid freezes, we hope to serve as a resource for transparency on emerging outbreaks globally while continuing to provide in-depth analysis of the mpox response. We will provide brief updates on emerging outbreaks with the state of available medical countermeasures and diagnostics needed to effectively respond.
February marks the end of the 6-month Africa CDC/WHO Mpox Continental Preparedness and Response Planwhile mpox remains a public health emergency of international concern: The original Mpox ContinentalResponse Plan, jointly released by Africa CDC and WHO, called for a budget of nearly USD $600 million to respond tothe outbreak from September 2024 to February 2025. The response has faced challenges with conflict in the DRC andthe U.S. funding pause. Africa CDC plans to release plans for an intensification phase over the next 6 months torespond to the outbreak and continue strengthening health systems on the continent. This intensification phase willfocus on scaling up community health workers for active case search, decentralization of laboratory capacity,digitalization of surveillance, and the acceleration of vaccination in an effort to accelerate control of the mpoxoutbreak in the most affected countries.
Latest updates at a glance:
- The Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group convened on February 26th and unanimously recommended theextension of the Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) due to several countries reporting a continued rise in cases, expansion of the outbreak into new countries, emergence of new variants, conflict in the DRC compromising response efforts, and challenges in implementing vaccination programs. The PHECS will be extended for an additional 6 months.
- On February 25th, the WHO Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024 met and recommended the mpox situation still warrants classification as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
- A new variant of clade 1a mpox has been detected in the DRC that carries the APOBEC3 mutation. This is the same mutation found in the novel clade 1b strain and has been a factor in its increased transmissibility.
- The DRC has launched an mpox vaccination campaign in hotspot areas of Kinshasa, vaccinating over 300,000people in just 10 days.
- Sierra Leone received 61,300 doses of mpox vaccines, becoming the 12th country to receive vaccine doses. Only 5countries at this time have active vaccination campaigns ongoing.
- Mpox treatment centers in Uganda are overwhelmed with admission rates over the bed capacity in some treatment units. In response, the country is opting to utilize home-based care for less severe cases.
- Angola has reported 2 new cases of mpox, after 8 weeks with no new cases.