118 CHA

The MPOX epidemic, an illness known as monkey’s smallpox, is still under control in Africa, where the increase in cases in Sierra Leone is currently concerned, the Public Health Agency of the African Union (UA) warned on Thursday.

According to the latest data from the agency, Africa has registered since the beginning of 2024 in at least 26 countries a total of 141,966 suspected cases of MPOX and 35,752 confirmed casesas well as and 1,793 suspicious and 188 deaths confirmed due to the disease, EFE reports.

“This shows that the situation is not yet completely controlled”said Epidemiologist Ngashi Ngongo, head of the Executive Office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Africa (CDC of Africa) in a virtual press conference.

“But it is also important to mention that we are more concerned about what is happening in Sierra Leone. This week, Sierra Leone represented 53% of the new cases confirmedSY continues to drive the continental ascending trend observed in the last six weeks, “said Ngongo.

Therefore, he said, Sierra Leone is “the most worrying country at this time.”

Sierra Leone is part of the four African countries most beaten by the MPOX, along with the Congo Democratic Republic (RDC, epicenter of the shoots), Uganda and Burundiwhich accumulate 94% of infections.

In the vaccination chapter, eleven countries have received vaccines, although only seven are inoculating the population (just over 664,000 people have been vaccinated).

The UA Public Health Agency declared the MPOX on August 13 as an emergency of continental security and, the next day, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the international health alert state for the disease.

Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a Painful eruption, an inflammation of lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain and lack of energy.