By Andrew Wasike
NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - South Africa’s president on Tuesday called for the urgent deployment of vaccines and medical counter-measures to combat the growing threat of mpox, particularly in Africa.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the dangers posed by pandemics and endemics, including mpox, which has been spreading rapidly across the continent.
"Pandemics and endemics cause a serious threat to us all," he said.
"We are concerned by the spread of mpox across the world, and Africa in particular. We urge the international community to mobilize vaccine stockpiles and other medical countermeasures for deployment where they are most needed,” he added.
The outbreak of mpox has raised alarms across several African nations due to its rapid spread and the vulnerability of healthcare systems.
The call for vaccines comes as international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, work to coordinate efforts to contain the virus.
The Africa CDC recently warned about a worrying upward trend of mpox cases across the continent, stressing that the disease is not yet under control across Africa.
Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, last Thursday said that compared to the same period last year, there has been a 177% and 38.5% increase in the number of mpox cases and deaths, respectively, across 15 African nations.
Africa has recorded more than 29,000 cases and 738 deaths this year, according to the latest data from the Africa CDC.