ECOWAS Decries Spread Of MPox Outbreak In Africa

With Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Ghana emerging as the worst hit in West Africa, the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control has decried the continuous spread of monkeypox in the region, with 44 confirmed cases and one death recorded by the end of Epi Week 33, 2024.

The report was released by the regional body on Saturday and made available to journalists on Saturday.

“As of August 15, 2024, the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control continues to monitor the Mpox situation in the ECOWAS region, as well as continental and global level.

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“As at Epi Week 33, a total of 44 confirmed cases and one death have been reported in the ECOWAS region since the beginning of the year; Nigeria (24), Cote d’Ivoire (11), Liberia (5) and Ghana (4),” the report revealed.

However, the African continent has continued to experience significant challenges in controlling the spread of Mpox, with a marked increase in cases and fatalities since the beginning of 2024.

With 37,583 cases and 1,451 deaths reported this year, the continent is facing a massive public health emergency.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo is bearing the brunt of this crisis, shockingly accounting for 96.3 per cent of all cases and 97 per cent of deaths continent-wide in 2024 alone.

The first half of 2024 saw an explosive rise in infections across Africa—14,250 Mpox cases and 456 deaths—representing a 160 per cent increase in cases and a 19 per cent jump in fatalities compared to the same period last year.

The DRC remains the epicentre of the outbreak, with a case fatality rate of 3.2 per cent, underscoring the severity of the crisis.