The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported progress in the fight against mpox across several African countries.

Prof. Yap Boum, Deputy Incident Manager Incident Management Support Team, Africa CDC, gave the report during a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

Boun cited improvements in surveillance, vaccination and case management, adding that challenges remain in hotspot regions.

According to him, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to record the highest number of cases.

“Over 31,000 infections and nearly 2,000 deaths have been confirmed, with a case fatality rate of 1.5 per cent among suspected cases and 0.41 per cent among confirmed cases,” he said.

Boun said that the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Kinshasa accounted for 63 per cent of infections.

He noted strong case management efforts, but also highlighted the need for better access in conflict-affected regions.

He also raised concern over co-infections, with a significant proportion of mpox patients in Kinshasa, Kampala, and Freetown found to be living with HIV, and in some cases, syphilis.

He called for stronger integration of mpox response into broader health systems, including systematic HIV testing for mpox patients.

“Sierra Leone has reported a sharp decline in new infections, attributed to intensified door-to-door sensitisation campaigns, community-driven messaging, and active surveillance.

“Still, Western Area Urban and Western Area Rural continue to account for three-quarters of the country’s cases.

“Meanwhile, Liberia is set to undergo an intra-action review next week, as the country continues to battle rising infections and struggles with a high proportion of patients being managed at home,” he said.

He confirmed that cases dropped by 58 per cent in Guinea, bringing the total to 965 cases and two deaths.

However, he said that 80 per cent of hospitalised patients presented with severe disease, prompting calls for earlier care, strengthened surveillance in hotspot regions such as Conakry, Kindia and Kankan.

“Kenya has also seen cases rise from 23 to 52, with Mombasa, Busia, and Nakuru identified as hotspots.

“The country has successfully deployed 10,700 vaccine doses, fully meeting its target, and is awaiting more supplies to cover Nairobi and high-risk groups, including truck drivers and sex workers,” he said

Across the continent, Boun confirmed that 4.7 million vaccine doses have been delivered to 15 countries, with over one million doses administered.

“An additional 485,000 doses are currently available, while pending shipments will deliver 42,000 doses each to Liberia and Uganda this week,” he said.

He described the scaling up of vaccine supply as a major milestone.

“We have moved from a time when Africa had only 20,000 doses to now, nearly five million.

“But much more is needed to adequately control the epidemic and prevent the risk of pandemic spread,” he said.

African leaders, policymakers and global health stakeholders will converge in Accra on Aug. 5 for a landmark summit on health sovereignty, convened by the Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama.

The Africa Health Sovereignty Summit is with the theme “The Accra Initiative: African Health Sovereignty in a Reimagined Global Health Governance Architecture”.

It is expected to mark a pivotal moment in advancing Africa-led reforms in global health governance.

According to a statement signed by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, spokesperson to the President, made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, the summit will unveil the “Accra Initiative”.

Ofosu said that the Accra Initiative is a bold action plan to promote national ownership, investment and leadership in the continent’s health systems.

He said that there had been progress in global health, such as a 50 per cent drop in child mortality since 1990 and a 40 per cent decline in maternal deaths since 2000.

He, however, said that shifting geopolitics, dwindling donor funds and emerging threats had exposed deep flaws in the current health architecture.

“This Summit is our moment to lead, not only in financing our systems, but also in reshaping the rules that govern global health; rules that must reflect the voices and realities of our people.”

Ofosu said that key expected outcomes included the endorsement of the Accra Compact, which outlines Africa’s vision for equitable global health governance.

“There will be a launch of the SUSTAIN Initiative to support domestic investment-driven health systems.

“There will also be the formation of a Presidential High-Level Panel to design a reform roadmap and a commitment to inclusive, accountable and resilient health systems,” he said.

NAN reports that the summit draws inspiration from Mahama’s leadership during the 2014 Ebola crisis.

It builds on the work of Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, and the African Union, to enhance health financing and coordination across the continent

In a bid to address the decline in blood donation in Nigeria, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has collaborated with the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA). The partnership aims to increase blood donation and provide safe, quality blood and blood products for patients in need.

A team from the NMA, led by the 1st Vice President, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, paid a courtesy visit to the NBSA. Dr. Olowojebutu formally introduced the Chairman of the NMA Committee on Blood Transfusion, Dr. A’isha Mustapha, to the Director-General of the NBSA. Other members of the team included the Chairman of the Kaduna State NMA, Dr. Hassan B. Salihu, and the Chairman of the NMA Committee on Cancer Control, Dr. Adamu A. Umar.

Dr. A’isha Mustapha emphasized the importance of blood services within the hospital setting, particularly in patient care. She noted that blood donation has declined from 250,000 to 25,000 annually, highlighting the need for increased awareness and support.

The Director-General of the NBSA, Prof Saleh Yuguda appreciated the NMA’s technical support and welcomed the collaboration. He noted that the Agency faces funding challenges since the withdrawal of the US government’s program but has received increased budgetary allocation from the Federal Government.

The NMA has pledged to work with the NBSA to replicate intervention programs and increase awareness about blood donation. Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu emphasized that publicity is key to boosting blood donation, and the NMA will work on a targeted exercise to break records of blood donation across the country.
By Abdullahi O Haruna