As cases of mpox steadily increase across the African continent, some 68% of them don’t have an epidemiological link — meaning they’re popping up among people that health workers aren’t monitoring and who aren’t known to have been in contact with previously identified cases.
“This is a major concern,” said Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya during a press briefing, noting that there are concerning gaps in the continental response in areas of surveillance, contact tracing, and data collection.
This year, there have been over 32,400 suspected cases — of which about 6,440 have been confirmed — and over 840 mpox deaths reported across the African continent. The majority of cases are in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
