Following a 500% increase in Mpox cases in Africa over the previous year, Nigeria has delayed its scheduled immunization campaign.
“The situation is not yet under control, we are still on the upward trend generally,” stated Ngashi Ngongo of Africa CDC during a news briefing on Thursday, in accordance with new data issued by the continent’s primary disease control center (Africa CDC).
The current #Mpox outbreak has already afflicted 19 countries, including Mauritius, while Nigeria has delayed its scheduled vaccination program. Access to kid-friendly immunizations is still a major obstacle, despite the fact that vaccination rates in the DRC and Rwanda have reached at least 100%. According to the statement, “since January 2024, confirmed Mpox cases have increased by 500% compared to 2023.”
However, the committee did not explain why Nigeria delayed the immunization campaign that was already scheduled.
Following the discovery of a new strain of the virus moving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to neighboring countries, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency in mid-August.
The figures are alarming: This year alone, 19 African nations have recorded 1,048 fatalities and more than 48,000 suspected cases of Mpox. With almost 86% of all cases and almost all deaths (99.5%) occurring there, Central Africa has been the most severely affected region.
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“To bring the current outbreak under control, we must keep mobilizing the political engagement and financial support that are essential,” Ngongo stated.
“This Mpox, particularly the clade 1b, should not turn into another STI pandemic, which would be far worse than COVID-19.”
Close contact with other people, even during intercourse, can expose one to the virus.
In a number of European nations, including Sweden, Germany, and Britain, scientists have discovered a new strain of the virus known as clade Ib.
