Ahmad 
Africa is experiencing a worrying increase in monkeypox cases, with more than 15,000 cases reported this year, more than the total number of cases recorded in all of 2023.
The most critical situation is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the disease has been endemic for decades but has now reached record levels, killing hundreds of people, most of them children under the age of five.
Global health authorities have expressed grave concern about the outbreak, with the World Health Organization considering declaring it a global health emergency.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned doctors that new cases could emerge among travelers from affected countries.
The situation has been exacerbated by the emergence of a new strain of the virus, known as “strain 1b,” which is spread mainly through sexual contact and causes more severe symptoms than the strain that spread globally in 2022. However, the death rate from this new strain remains relatively low.
Africa faces significant challenges in combating the spread of the disease, due to shortages of vaccines and antiviral drugs.
The distribution of vaccines in Congo and other parts of Africa has been described as a “logistical nightmare,” due to weak health infrastructure and difficulty reaching affected rural communities.
In light of these circumstances, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with local authorities in Congo to develop a comprehensive plan to distribute vaccines to the most vulnerable groups, in the hope of containing this outbreak before it spreads to wider areas.
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