Mpox response paying off in Africa
China DailyBy Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, Kenya | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-12-04 16:04 A Nigerian health official prepares to administer a Mpox vaccination to a woman, at Federal Medical Center in Abuja, Nigeria November 18, 2024. While Mpox remains a global threat, the World Health Organization said there are positive signs the response is paying off in Africa, the most affected region by the outbreak. Moeti said since October 2024, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, and South Africa have not reported active Mpox outbreaks for at least six consecutive weeks and have thus entered the "control phase". "Only 37 percent of collected samples were tested in the three weeks spanning late October to early November 2024, leaving some provinces underrepresented in surveillance data and impacting the response," she said. Moeti said Mpox vaccination campaigns are being rolled out in the DR Congo, Nigeria and Rwanda and vaccination plans are underway in other countries.