ROUNDUP - Thousands of mpox cases reported as of start of 2024

By Yasin Gungor, Hassan Isilow and James Tasmba

ISTANBUL (AA) - Thousands of mpox cases have been reported around the world since the start of this year, with significant outbreaks occurring in Africa, Asia, and other regions.

The World Health Organization declared mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" on Aug. 14, underscoring the global threat posed by the outbreak.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of continental security" one day earlier.

- Africa

Africa remains the hardest-hit continent, with several countries experiencing significant outbreaks.

In 2024 alone, 17,541 mpox cases and 517 deaths were reported from 13 African countries, according to the CDC.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with more than 16,700 cases and 570 deaths in 2024, according to Health Minister Roger Kamba.

The country accounts for 96% of all cases and 97% of all deaths reported in 2024.

Burundi has recorded nearly 142 cases of mpox since July, with 483 unconfirmed individuals showing symptoms as of Aug. 15, according to the Health Ministry.

Authorities noted that 24 of them have been treated.

South Africa recorded 24 confirmed cases, including three deaths. Cameroon registered 30 suspected cases with five of them confirmed, including two deaths.

The Republic of Congo reported 150 suspected cases with 19 confirmed cases, including one death, while Malawi reported one case.

Nigeria reported 39 confirmed cases and Liberia has five confirmed cases. Rwanda reported four confirmed cases, two of which were reportedly treated, and Ivory Coast has 28 confirmed cases with one death. Ghana also reported four cases.

Uganda has managed to treat two imported cases without complications, while Kenya has identified one new case, indicating that the virus continues to spread within the continent.

Africa CDC said in a Wednesday update that “investigations in the DRC suggest that heterosexual transmission, especially among female sex workers (9%), is driving the outbreak, contrasting with the spread mainly among men who have sex with men in Europe in 2022.”

- Asia

In Asia, new cases have been reported in Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Pakistan reported a case last Friday. The country noted that it was the first case diagnosed in 2024. However, it has confirmed 11 cases since April 2023, including one death.

Thailand and the Philippines each reported a single new case in recent days, with no information available on their treatment processes.

- Other countries

Apart from these regions, Australia and Sweden have also reported cases of mpox, with Sweden being the first country outside of Africa to report the disease.

Australia, which has seen a resurgence of the virus since June 2024, has confirmed 93 cases so far, a sharp increase from the one case reported earlier this year. There were 56 reported cases of mpox in 2022 and 12 in 2023, according to the New South Wales Department of Health.

Sweden is the only confirmed case in Europe so far. It was reported on Aug. 15 that a person who was affected during a stay in an area in Africa was diagnosed with the virus.

- Global developments

France on Wednesday pledged to provide 100,000 doses of vaccine to African countries where the virus is present in an effort to contain the outbreak.

The UK also announced Wednesday that it will provide £3.1 million ($4 million) to help the most affected communities "to tackle ongoing outbreaks of mpox and cholera."

In Argentina, authorities quarantined a freighter on the Parana River because of suspected cases of mpox, underscoring the global reach of the virus.

South Korea on Tuesday asked people arriving from eight countries to report symptoms of the mpox virus. The countries include Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo and the Central African Republic.

The WHO has said that mpox "is not the new COVID" and has recommended "targeted vaccination" rather than mass vaccination in the fight against the disease.