Highlights:
· The World Health Organization (WHO) as of August 12th reported the following:
o There are 99,176 confirmed cases of Mpox in 116 countries.
o WHO reports that there has been a decline of reporting from member states, as a result the current reported data most likely underestimates the actual number of cases.
o A total of 208 people has died.
· WHO reported other key epidemiological findings of this outbreak, which includes:
o Globally, 96.4% of confirmed cases with available data are male, with a median age of 34 years.
o Among the modes of transmission, sexual contact is the most reported, followed by person-to-person non-sexual contact.
o Around half of confirmed cases with available information on their HIV status are reported to be in persons living with HIV.
· The Mpox worldwide long-term risk assessment is:
o High: Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries, affecting mostly adults and spreading predominantly through sexual contact.
o High: Areas of the DRC where mpox is endemic, affecting mostly children and spreading through multiple modes of transmission.
o Moderate: Nigeria and countries of West, Central and East Africa where mpox is endemic, affecting children and adults and spreading through multiple modes of transmission.
o Moderate: All countries in Africa and around the world, where outbreaks affect mainly men who have sex with men and spread predominantly through sexual contact.
· The highest number of cases in the African Region are being reported in the DRC. They account for 96% of the confirmed cases. The current humanitarian situation in the DRC is:
o There are 25.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
o 7.3 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
o There are 1.1 million DRC refugees and/or asylum seekers who have sought shelter in neighboring countries.
· On August 13th the Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared the outgoing Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.
· WHO is convening the Emergency Committee on August 14th.
Sources:
· Democratic Republic of the Congo - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #8 Fiscal Year (FY) 2024
· Africa CDC Twitter Page
· WHO Twitter Page
Resources
Democratic Republic of Congo: Mid-year metrics 2024
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