The acting director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ahmed Oguel Oma, said Thursday that Africa has recorded 1,597 suspected monkeypox cases since the beginning of the year, of whom 66 have died.
He added that the disease has not yet been contained on the continent, adding: When a vaccination campaign to contain monkeypox begins in the world, it should start in Africa.
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Oma explained that the African countries that have recorded confirmed cases of monkeypox are Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The World Health Organization is due to hold an emergency committee meeting next week to decide whether the monkeypox outbreak constitutes a health emergency.
Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, and more than 30 non-endemic countries have reported outbreaks this year, mostly in Europe.