Kyle Planck, who has recovered from mpox, shows a photo of a rash on his skin during an interview in New York on July 19, 2022. Yuki Iwamura, AFP/File

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17235960899331723596088614.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Kyle Planck, who has recovered from mpox, shows a photo of a rash on his skin during an interview in New York on July 19, 2022. <em>Yuki Iwamura, AFP/File </em></span></span></span></div><p>The African Union&#x27;s health watchdog on Tuesday declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent, saying the move is a &quot;clarion call for action&quot;.</p><p>The outbreak has swept through several African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the virus formerly called monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970.</p><p>&quot;With a heavy heart but with an unyielding commitment to our people, to our African citizens, we declare mpox as public health emergency of continental security,&quot; Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said during an online media briefing.</p><p>&quot;Mpox has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across our continent, families have been torn apart and the pain and suffering have touched every corner of our continent,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/19/23/who-warns-mpox-could-spread-around-the-world-again">WHO warns mpox could spread around the world again</a></div><p>According to CDC data as of August 4, there had been 38,465 cases of mpox and 1,456 deaths in Africa since January 2022.</p><p>&quot;This declaration is not merely a formality, it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,&quot; Kaseya said.</p><p>It is the first time the Addis Ababa-headquartered agency has used the continental security power it was given in 2022.</p><p>The decision is expected to help to mobilise money and other resources early in any efforts to halt the spread of disease.</p><p>Boghuma Titanji, assistant professor in medicine at Emory University in the United States, said the CDC declaration was a &quot;crucial step&quot; towards enhancing coordination among African countries and encouraging them to allocate funds to combat the outbreak.</p><p>&quot;While there has been substantial criticism of foreign donors for inadequate support, the over-reliance on external aid has highlighted a major flaw in the current response efforts,&quot; Titanji said in a statement.</p><div><strong>COMPLEMENTARY ACTIONS</strong></div><p>CDC&#x27;s announcement on Tuesday comes ahead of a meeting of the World Health Organization&#x27;s emergency committee on August 14 to decide whether to trigger a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) -- the highest alarm the WHO can sound.</p><p>&quot;What we are declaring today can be complemented by the action WHO can take,&quot; Kaseya said.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2024/8/8/who-calls-emergency-committee-on-mpox-spread-932">WHO calls emergency committee on mpox spread</a></div><p>The United States said it was in &quot;close coordination&quot; on mpox with DR Congo, other affected countries and health bodies.</p><p>&quot;We are tracking closely the spread of mpox in Central Africa. We are pleased to see international leadership in this area,&quot; State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.</p><p>He said that the United States so far this year has contributed $17 million beyond already programmed assistance to help African countries prepare and respond to mpox.</p><p>In May 2022, mpox infections surged worldwide, mostly affecting gay and bisexual men, due to the Clade IIb strain.</p><p>That led the WHO to declare a PHEIC, which lasted from July 2022 to May 2023. The outbreak caused some 140 deaths out of around 90,000 cases.</p><div style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);orphans:2;widows:2;line-height:21px;overflow-wrap:break-word"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/10/no-reported-deaths-due-to-mpox-in-ph-doh-2031" style="color:rgb(199, 29, 29)">No reported deaths due to mpox in PH: DOH</a></div><p>Titanji, a Cameroonian-born doctor, said that declaration did not however &quot;lead to significant- improved access to diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines for African countries&quot;.</p><p>Renamed from monkeypox in 2022, mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.</p><p>The disease causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.</p><p>There are two subtypes of the virus: the more virulent and deadlier Clade I, endemic in the Congo Basin in central Africa; and Clade II, endemic in West Africa.</p><p>The cases that have been surging in the DRC since September 2023 are due to a different strain: the Clade Ib subclade.</p><p>A PHEIC has been declared by the WHO seven times since 2009: over H1N1 swine flu, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika virus, Ebola again, Covid-19 and mpox.</p><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Q18EDh88KE" title="Monkeypox tatawagin ng &#x27;MPOX&#x27; | TV Patrol" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>The African Union's health watchdog on Tuesday declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent, saying the move is a "clarion call for action".</p>

The African Union's health watchdog on Tuesday declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent, saying the move is a "clarion call for action".

Africa's CDC declares mpox a public health emergency | ABS-CBN

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Africa's CDC declares mpox a public health emergency

Africa's CDC declares mpox a public health emergency

Agence France-Presse

Published Aug 14, 2024 08:58 AM PHT

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