Health authorities update emergency response for upsurge in monkey pox cases
Ghana is updating its emergency response plans following an upsurge in monkey pox cases within the sub-region.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) will convene experts amid the rising monkey pox cases in Africa on Wednesday August 14. Burundi and Rwanda are the latest to record cases while Kenya and the Central African Republic are also having an increase in cases.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported a significant rise in M-pox cases, with the virus now detected in 10 African countries this year, including the DRC, which accounts for over 96% of all reported cases and deaths.
The agency noted a 160% increase in cases compared to the same period last year, alongside a 19% rise in fatalities. Nearly 70% of cases and 85% of deaths in the DRC have occurred in children under the age of 15.
The Independent experts selected from countries are to assess whether the escalating spread of the M-pox virus in Africa warrants a global health emergency declaration.
The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service says clinicians are already being re-trained for any early detection of a case.
More soon…
