At a briefing on mpox developments today in African countries, top health officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that an ongoing crisis in South Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the main hot spots, has forced at least 400 mpox patients to flee treatment centers.

Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, Africa CDC’s director-general, said the development increases the risk of spread within and beyond the province, including to neighboring countries. He added that four healthcare facilities in South Kivu have been destroyed and looted, and that the violence has displaced more than 153,000 people. 

Conflict and insecurity have interrupted mpox reporting in South Kivu province over the past 2 weeks, he added.

Mpox outbreaks have affected 22 African countries, and 13 are in the active phase. Cases are trending upward in 6 countries: Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Zambia, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, and the DRC. In the Republic of Congo, nearly 70% cases are among males, and clades 1a and 1b are co-circulating.

Kaseya said that, in the most affected countries, hot spots include capital cities, such as Brazzaville, Congo and Lusaka, Zambia.

Seven countries have received mpox vaccine shipments, and five are currently vaccinating. So far, more than 200,000 doses have been administered. Kaseya said another promising development is the decentralization of lab capacity.

Waiting for clarification on US funding waiver

Last week, officials said a pause in aid from the United States is hampering the transport of mpox samples to labs in some of the most affected counties, which officials said today includes Uganda. 

Kaseya said the US government has issued a waiver for humanitarian funds, but the situations for accessing the support haven’t been clearly communicated to African countries. He said transportation of samples and vaccines are part of lifesaving assistance.

Also, at an African Union assembly that just concluded, leaders approved an African Epidemic Fund that is designed to streamline resources for preparedness and response in the region. Kaseya called the epidemic fund a “game changer” and said the African Union also made progress on an agenda for local drug and vaccine manufacturing and built support for innovating health financing.