The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, and Uganda account for over 84 per cent of mpox cases across Africa.

The figure reflects the data as of epidemiological week 25 of 2025, which underscores the disease burden on three countries, even as overall cases show a downward trend.

In a news conference via webinar on Friday, Jean Kaseya, the director-general of the Africa CDC, said the DRC alone accounts for 62 per cent of all confirmed cases on the continent since the current epidemic began.

“While we’ve seen a consistent decline in mpox cases across Africa in the last six weeks, the burden remains overwhelmingly concentrated in just a few countries.

“This calls for tailored and intensified response efforts in these hotspots, ” Mr Kaseya stated.

The DG said that from January 2024 to June 2025, Africa recorded more than 75,630 suspected cases and 25,175 confirmed cases of mpox, with 574 deaths.

Mr Kaseya added that Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the DRC accounted for a significant share of these cases, with Uganda recording over 6,900 confirmed cases, Sierra Leone 4,297, and the DRC 27,940.

He stated that children under 15 make up a growing proportion of those affected. In Burundi, nearly 47 per cent of confirmed cases are children.

Similarly, he said that in Uganda, over 11 per cent of confirmed mpox patients are children under 15.

Mr Kaseya also said men account for over two-thirds of confirmed cases continent-wide, suggesting possible gender-based exposure patterns that require further investigation.

Despite a 100 per cent testing rate for samples received in most countries, Mr Kaseya said testing coverage remains low due to logistical issues.

He said issues like poor sample transportation, especially in remote areas of the DRC and Sierra Leone, remained a major setback.

According to him, in Sierra Leone, the Africa CDC praised recent gains in rapid test result turnaround time (2.5 days) and high positivity rates of 85 per cent, indicating targeted and effective testing.

On vaccination, he said that over 698,000 people across 11 countries have received at least one dose of the mpox vaccine.

Notably, he stated that Sierra Leone successfully vaccinated over 70,000 people during its second round of the campaign, which began on June 23.

However, he said the vaccine stockouts remain a critical bottleneck, with countries like Liberia and parts of Sierra Leone reporting shortages.

He said the DRC continues to lead with over 530,000 persons vaccinated, accounting for 75 per cent of the continent’s total.

While noting that the response has not been without setbacks, he pointed out that several treatment centres in Uganda and the DRC face shortages of essential medicines, fuel for ambulances, and gaps in hygiene staffing.

He said that in Uganda, case management units in cities like Entebbe and Fort Portal were overburdened, with admissions outpacing capacity.

According to him, progress is being made with supportive care protocols and ongoing health worker training that is yielding improved outcomes, with a gradual drop in case fatality rates now at 0.5 per cent continent-wide.

Mr Kaseya called on African Union member states to adopt an integrated emergency response that addresses both mpox and concurrent cholera outbreaks, particularly in regions affected by climate shocks, conflict, and fragile sanitation systems.

“The mpox epidemic remains a public health emergency of continental security (PHECS), and we must not relent in our efforts,” he stressed.

Mpox is a viral disease similar to smallpox, spread through close contact.

It causes fever, rash, and swollen glands and can be severe in children and people with weakened immunity.

(NAN)