The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has declared Mpox, the high infectious disease that used to be called monkeypox, as a public health emergency in the continent. 

At a briefing today the Centre’s Director General, Jean Kaseya, vowed to mobilize institutions, collective will, and resources to act swiftly and decisively, to curb the spread of the viral infection, which now has a new strand.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 13,700 cases and 450 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The virus, which can cause injuries across the body, has spread to other African countries, including Burundi, the Central African Republic, Kenya and Rwanda.