Dr. Jean Kaseya emphasized the urgent need for wealthy nations to support Africa's fight against the mpox pandemic, stating that lessons from COVID-19 should not be forgotten. He noted that 'we don't want to come back again tomorrow to say, you again abandoned Africa,' highlighting the necessity for trust rebuilding among nations. This reflects a call for international solidarity in global health crises.
In light of the ongoing mpox outbreak, which has reached 22,000 cases and 716 deaths, mostly among children, Kaseya criticized the current support as insufficient: '107 new deaths and 3,160 new cases recorded in the past week alone is not acceptable.' This statement underscores the urgency of the situation and the need for immediate action from global health organizations.
Kaseya mentioned the Africa CDC's ambition to raise $600 million for a vaccination program, emphasizing the critical importance of sufficient funding for combating mpox. He called on 'Western countries to show that they learned from COVID,' underlining that timely support is vital as mpox evolves across the continent.
Despite some international aid, including 200,000 vaccine doses from the EU and 50,000 from the US, Kaseya stated these efforts are not enough. He pointed out that it 'would be much cheaper to act proactively rather than waiting until the situation escalates,' advocating for more robust, preventive measures in response to the mpox pandemic.
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