INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Health authorities in Africa say they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak there as an emergency and are calling on rich countries
to share the world&s limited supply of vaccines in an effort to avoid the glaring equity problems seen during the COVID-19
pandemic.Monkeypox has been affecting people in parts of central and west Africa for decades, but the lack of laboratory diagnosis and weak
surveillance means many cases are going undetected across the continent, The Associated Press reported. To date, countries in Africa have
reported more than 1,800 suspected cases so far this year including more than 70 deaths, but only 109 have been lab-confirmed.This
particular outbreak for us means an emergency,& said Ahmed Ogwell, the acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control. We want
to be able to address monkeypox as an emergency now so that it does not cause more pain and suffering,& he said.Last week, WHO said its
emergency committee concluded that the expanding monkeypox outbreak was worrying, but did not yet warrant being declared a global health
The UN health agency said it would reconsider its decision if the disease continued spreading across more borders, showed signs of increased
severity, or began infecting vulnerable groups like pregnant women and children, AP reported.Globally, more than 5,000 cases of monkeypox
have been reported in 51 countries, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The majority of those cases are in Europe
No deaths beyond Africa have been reported.Within Africa, WHO said monkeypox has spread to countries where it hasn''t previously been seen,
including South Africa, Ghana and Morocco
But more than 90 percent of the continent&s infections are in Congo and Nigeria, according to WHO&s Africa director, Dr
Moeti Matshidiso.The post African officials say spread of Monkeypox is already an emergency first appeared on Ariana News.
