By Global News Service
Thousands across the African continent have been infected with the Mpox virus, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the ongoing spread of the disease. In response, over 55 health groups have urged the British government to support health systems in the affected countries.
In a letter circulated on August 23, the groups demand rapid distribution of vaccines to countries in Africa currently struggling with mounting a response to the outbreak. The letter also calls for the sharing of technologies between existing vaccine producers and manufacturers in Africa to increase global supply.
Elia Badjo, a medical doctor and global health expert with Conseil sur la Santé et l'Académie de Médecine, a health providers’ association in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is among the signatories of the letter. In a conversation with People’s Health Dispatch, Badjo detailed the challenges the country faces due to the Mpox outbreak, including shortages of vaccines and testing.
Speaking from South Kivu, one of the regions hardest hit by the crisis, Dr. Badjo highlights that health workers can only confirm about half of the suspected cases through testing. He emphasizes that without adequate testing capacities, responders are unable to accurately determine the true number of infections.
Even without full confirmation, it’s known that approximately 95 percent of Mpox cases in this outbreak are in the DRC. The country has reported around 14,000 cases and 500 deaths while struggling with unequal access to treatment. Contact tracing remains a “real challenge,” as Dr. Badjo highlighted in a statement accompanying the open letter.
from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service
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