MPOX

Mpox has long been a reality in Africa, but the continent still lacks access to vaccines, highlighting stark inequalities in global distribution as wealthier nations vaccinate populations at much lower risk. Experts warn that this disparity – combined with competing health crises and sluggish regulatory processes – puts millions of Africans at risk as the virus mutates rapidly, spreads from person to person and crosses borders at an alarming rate. "The shortfall in the distribution of mpox…

Swedish health authorities said Thursday they had registered the first case outside Africa of the more dangerous variant of mpox, a viral infection spread through close contact. The announcement came a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global health emergency for the second time in two years, warning that the virus could eventually spread across international borders. Sweden's public health authority confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the case was the same…

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency after mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the spread of the virus. "This is something that should concern us all ... The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying," said WHO Director-General…

New Mpox Outbreaks Erupt in Kenya and Central African Republic Kenya and the Central African Republic have reported fresh outbreaks of mpox, with health officials racing against time to curb the virus’s spread in an area already grappling with limited vaccine supplies. This past Wednesday, Nairobi confirmed its outbreak after identifying a case in a traveler who crossed into Rwanda from Uganda via a southern border checkpoint in Kenya. The Central African Republic announced its situation on Monday, revealing that the…