A total of 18,737 suspected or confirmed mpox cases were reported in Africa since the beginning of 2023, with 1,200 cases detected this week alone, the African Union health agency said on Saturday.

The data are composed of the virus' three strains, especially the recent more fatal and transmissible Clade 1b, which led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare an international health emergency on Wednesday. This is the “highest level of alarm” under international health law.

12 African Union member states have reported a combined total of 3,101 confirmed cases and 15,636 suspected cases with 541 deaths, comprising a 2.89% fatality rate, the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement.

Rapid rise in mpox cases

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Clade 1b strain was initially detected back in September 2023, is the country with the highest mpox cases. The African nation has reported 1,005 cases (222 confirmed and 783 suspected) and 24 deaths in one week in all its 26 provinces. 

The number of cases recorded in its neighboring country, Burundi, is 173 (39 confirmed and 134 suspected), marking a 75% increase in one week.

Essentially, more cases have been reported since the beginning of the year compared to the whole of 2023, where 14,383 cases were detected, the African CDC reported. 

Sweden identifies first Mpox case outside the African continent

The Swedish Public Health Agency said it recorded the first case of monkeypox outside of Africa.

In a statement on Thursday, the agency said, "A person who sought care at Region Stockholm has been diagnosed with Mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent," adding that the infected individual contracted the disease during a stay in a part of Africa.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, has described the situation as "very worrying", justifying the "highest level of alarm" under the international health law. He pointed out the emergence of Clade (Ib) in eastern DRC and its presence in neighboring countries.

The WHO has allocated $1.5 million from its contingency fund and plans to release additional funds, urging donors to contribute the remaining $15 million needed for the region’s response.

Diving deeper

The WHO will shortly publish its first recommendations by its emergency committee and has, in collaboration with NGOs, called for an increase in vaccine production.

Humans can catch mpox by coming into close contact with an animal or person who has the disease, as well as by coming into contact with contaminated objects. According to the WHO, patients frequently experience symptoms, such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, and muscle aches before a skin rash appears.

The Clade 1b variant causes skin eruptions all over the body while previous strains produced localized lesions around the mouth, face, or genital areas.

The term "monkeypox" was changed to "mpox" by the WHO last year because it was "racist and stigmatizing language." For a year, both names will be used interchangeably as the term "monkeypox" is phased out, it was added.