Mpox Virus Kills Two in Cameroon as Authorities Step Up Response

Since April 2024, two people have died from the Mpox virus in Cameroon, with six confirmed cases and 40 more suspected, the country’s health ministry has announced.

“Since the resurgence of this disease in April 2024, the country has recorded 46 suspected cases of mpox, six of which are confirmed, with two deaths reported,” said Health Minister Malachie Manaouda.

The ministry clarified that the outbreak is not linked to the more virulent Clade 1b strain, which has caused a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and spread to neighboring countries. The World Health Organization declared an international emergency four weeks ago due to the rise in Clade 1b cases in the DRC.

In response, Cameroonian authorities have strengthened surveillance, vaccination efforts, and public awareness to prevent a potential local outbreak, the ministry added.

By the end of August, mpox had been reported in 14 African countries. The virus, which can be transmitted to humans by infected animals or through close physical contact with an infected person, causes fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be fatal in some cases.

Elsewhere in Africa, 796 cases of mpox virus have been reported in Burundi, 162 in Congo-Brazzaville, and 45 in the Central African Republic, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The DRC remains the epicenter of the epidemic, with nearly 22,000 cases and 716 deaths recorded since January, according to the latest figures from the Congolese Public Health Institute.

To address the outbreak of mpox virus, 3.6 million vaccine doses have been secured for African countries, and the first batches are being distributed, according to the CDC.

Mimi Mefo Info