
A critical shortage of diagnostic kits, treatments, and vaccines is hindering efforts to contain a new strain of the mpox virus spreading across Africa, a Red Cross official warned on Friday.
Bronwyn Nichol of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed deep concern over the lack of resources to combat the escalating outbreak.
“These shortages are severely hampering the ability to contain the outbreak,” Nichol stated during a media briefing.
The situation has intensified as health officials in Sweden confirmed the first case of the new mpox strain outside Africa on Thursday, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global public health emergency.
Nichol voiced apprehension that the emergence of cases beyond the African continent could divert attention and resources away from the ongoing crisis there.
She urged the international community to maintain its commitment to supporting the response efforts in Africa.
Meanwhile, WHO official Margaret Harris predicted that more cases of the new mpox strain will likely surface in other regions due to increased surveillance.
“We expect that we will see cases elsewhere,” Harris said.
In a separate development, the head of the global vaccine group Gavi announced the availability of up to $500 million to fund vaccine procurement for countries affected by the mpox outbreak in Africa.