The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has set an ambitious goal of eradicating mpox from the African continent by the end of 2025.
During a virtual press briefing, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya emphasized the critical need for local vaccine manufacturing in Africa to effectively combat public health threats. He announced plans to engage with African heads of state and government to discuss and implement this crucial strategy.
Since the beginning of last year, Africa has recorded over 116,000 confirmed mpox cases, resulting in more than 1,300 deaths.
To achieve this ambitious goal, the Africa CDC outlined a multi-pronged approach:
- Deploying 80 epidemiologists and 2,400 community health workers to support integrated case management in countries heavily impacted by the outbreak, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Uganda.
- Decentralizing testing and enhancing laboratory infrastructure across the continent to improve disease surveillance and response capabilities.
- Accelerating vaccination efforts, with a particular focus on vaccinating children under the age of 18.
The Africa CDC also acknowledged Tanzania’s official communication confirming the absence of confirmed Marburg cases in the country.
This ambitious initiative underscores the Africa CDC’s commitment to strengthening public health systems across the continent and enhancing Africa’s ability to effectively respond to future public health emergencies.