Kenya and the Central African Republic have announced new outbreaks of monkeypox, prompting African health officials to urgently address the spread of the disease in a region with limited access to vaccines.
On Wednesday, Nairobi reported a new outbreak after detecting a case in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border post in southern Kenya. The Central African Republic declared its new outbreak earlier on Monday, noting its spread to the capital, Bangui.
Monkeypox is caused by a virus that originates in wild animals and occasionally jumps to humans, who can then transmit it to others.
“We are very concerned about the cases of monkeypox ravaging Region 7 of the country,” said Pierre Somsé, the Central African Republic’s Minister of Public Health, on Monday.
Monkeypox gained global attention during an international outbreak in 2022, which saw the disease spread to over 100 countries. It has been endemic in parts of central and west Africa for decades.
In November, the World Health Organization confirmed the first cases of sexual transmission of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). African scientists have warned that this mode of transmission could complicate efforts to contain the disease.
While outbreaks in the West have been managed with vaccines and treatments, such resources are almost nonexistent in parts of Africa, where several countries have reported new outbreaks in recent months.
The hardest-hit country on the continent is the DRC, which has recorded more than 12,000 cases and at least 470 deaths this year in its largest outbreak. South Africa, which last recorded a case of monkeypox in 2022, has also reported a new outbreak this year.
In the Central African Republic, where infections are more common in remote areas, authorities have called on the public to support government efforts to slow the disease’s spread.
The East African Community regional bloc issued a statement alerting member states about the situation in the DRC, which borders five countries in the region. One of these countries, Burundi, has already confirmed three cases.
Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, the Community’s deputy secretary-general, urged member states on Monday to “provide necessary information on the disease and take preventive measures.”