Highlights:
· As of September 17th, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports the following:
o 106,310 total lab confirmed cases in 123 countries.
o There are 234 lab confirmed deaths worldwide.
· The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is reporting the following:
o 29,152 cases (6,105 confirmed).
o A total of 738 people has died.
o The case fatality rate of Mpox is 2.73%.
o Cases have been reported in all five regions of the African Union.
o On September 12th, Africa CDC confirmed the first Mpox case in North Africa. The patient is a 32-year-old male from Marrakech who is currently stable and under isolation. The Moroccan authorities have deployed a rapid response team and begun epidemiological investigations and contact tracing.
· The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that the risk of Mpox spreading on a commercial flight is very low. However, CDC continues to investigate the ways Mpox spreads.
· WHO is supporting African Member States to ensure they have the capacity to tackle the Mpox outbreak. Countries are being prioritized as follows:
o Priority 1: Response efforts in countries with confirmed cases.
o Priority 2: Readiness efforts in high-risk countries bordering those with confirmed cases.
o Priority 3: Preparedness efforts for all other African countries in the region.
· WHO African Region has accomplished the following as of September 12th:
o Trained 1,900 first responders.
o The detection to containment time has been reduced from 418 days to just 51 days.
o Emergency supplies are now delivered within 24-72 hours.
o More than 300 WHO disease surveillance and outbreak response experts supporting the polio eradication efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been integrated into Mpox outbreak control efforts.
· Testing Updates:
o On August 22nd, the Africa CDC launched a regional testing and sequencing training hosted by Pathogen Genomic Lab- INRB. A total of 14 trainees from seven member states attended this training.
o As of September 14th, WHO African Region has conducted site visits with 45 member states to boost genomic sequencing. As a result, 94% of countries can analyze Mpox samples, which improves detection and response efforts.
o With support from the US government, WHO has procured 3,500 GeneXpert cartridges to the DRC to aid Mpox detection
· Vaccination Efforts:
o Nigeria on August 28th became the African country to receive Mpox vaccines:
o 10,000 doses of the Jynneos (MVA) vaccine were manufactured by the Bavarian Nordic pharmaceutical firm and donated by the United States government.
o The roll-out of these doses will be to five states.
o The vaccine will be administered in a two-dose schedule to 5,000 people most at risk of Mpox (close contacts and frontline healthcare workers).
o On September 10th, the US government donated 50,000 Mpox vaccine doses to the DRC.
o WHO added the MVA-BN vaccine to its prequalification list, to help faster procurement of mpox vaccines and to support communities in urgent need as of September 13th.
o On September 19th, the EU Medicines Agency recommended extending the indication of the smallpox and Mpox vaccine Imvanex (MVA-BN) to adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age. This will support African regulators in the fight against the ongoing outbreak.
· As of September 13th, WHO handed over 10 tons of medical supplies to the DRCs Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Security to support the Mpox response.
· On September 20th, WHO delivered 33.5 tons of crucial medical supplies to the DRC.
· WHO is concerned about unproven cures of Mpox being advertised on various social media platforms.
· On August 26th, the World Health Organization launched the Mpox Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. This plan is focused on stopping the outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts. The plan is requesting $135 million in funding.
Sources:
· WHO African Region Twitter Page
· Africa CDC Twitter Page
· CDC Twitter Page
· European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Twitter Page
Resources
WHO, Mpox Questions and Answers
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