By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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FRIDAY, Aug. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Mpox cases have soared by 160% in Africa this year, as a lack of both vaccines and treatments hamper efforts to slow the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n
In a report<\/a> released by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, officials said that mpox has now been detected in 10 African countries this year, including Congo, a country that has been the center of the latest outbreak. That nation has seen more than 96% of all cases and deaths. Even more troubling, nearly 70% of Congo cases have been in children under the age of 15, who also accounted for 85% of mpox deaths.<\/p>\n Doctors Without Borders called the expanding mpox outbreak in the Congo \u00e2\u0080\u009cworrying.\u00e2\u0080\u009d<\/p>\n \u00e2\u0080\u009cThere is a real risk of explosion, given the huge population movements in and out,\u00e2\u0080\u009d Dr. Louis Massing<\/a>, the group\u00e2\u0080\u0099s medical director for Congo, said in a statement<\/a> issued Wednesday. \u00e2\u0080\u009cWe can only plead \u00e2\u0080\u00a6 for vaccines to arrive in the country and as quickly as possible so that we can protect the populations in the areas most affected.”<\/p>\n So far this year, there have been an estimated 14,250 mpox cases in Africa, almost as many as were reported in all of 2023. Compared to the first seven months of 2023, cases are up 160% and deaths are up 19%, to 456.<\/p>\n The countries of Burundi and Rwanda both reported mpox cases for the first time this week. New outbreaks were also declared this week in Kenya and\u00a0the Central African Republic, with cases extending to its capital, Bangui, the Associated Press<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u0080\u009cWe are very concerned about the cases of monkeypox, which is ravaging [the capital region],\u00e2\u0080\u009d Pierre Somse<\/a>, the Central African Republic\u00e2\u0080\u0099s public health minister, said this week, the AP<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kenya\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Health Ministry said Wednesday it found mpox in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border crossing in southern Kenya, the AP<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, scientists reported<\/a> the emergence of a\u00a0new and deadlier version of mpox in a Congolese mining town. Mpox spreads through close contact with infected people, including via sex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, an analysis of patients hospitalized from October to January in eastern Congo suggested that the recent genetic mutations seen in the virus were triggered by its rapid spread in that country, the AP<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations<\/a> announced it was starting a\u00a0study in Congo\u00a0and other African countries next month to see if giving people an mpox shot after<\/em> they have been exposed to the disease could help prevent severe illness and death.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The CDC has more on mpox<\/a>.<\/p>\n